Anselm 3D

The portrait of German artist Anselm Kiefer, presented at Cannes, is like his large-scale sculptures – monumental yet still embracing the human perspective. And it is certainly not a conventional documentary featuring talking heads. After the memorable Pina, Wim Wenders offers another immersive film experience (the production took two years), allowing us to enter the world of the artist and his works. Fictionalized scenes, archival footage, and 3D shots from the gigantic studio contribute to a nuanced portrayal of a man struggling with post-war collective amnesia. Born in 1945, Kiefer, a student of Joseph Beuys, was initially regarded by some as a mere provocateur and even a sympathizer of Nazism. However, in his works, he called for the remembrance of Germany’s difficult past, much like Heinrich Böll did in literature. Wenders wanders with the camera across the sprawling terrain in French Barjac, an artistic studio, and simultaneously an exhibition on the verge of entropy. Construction and decay, myth and reality, testimony, and oblivion – these fascinations are evident in Kiefer’s creations: multi-story concrete towers and underground tunnels. At the same time, the director allows himself a tender cinematic gesture – the encounter between a young Anselm (played by Wenders’ cousin) and the esteemed artist.

Mariusz Mikliński

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