Böse Spiele - Rimini Sparta

Some years ago, director Ulrich Seidl (In the Basement, Paradise trilogy) wanted to film a wide-ranging story about three generations, embodied by Richie, Ewald and their strict father, an Austrian with no hesitation about expressing his fascist sympathies.

The film was made, running at more than three hours, but did not turn out as Seidl had hoped. So he unpicked the material and in 2022 presented two notable feature films: Rimini, about the somewhat declining fortunes of schlager singer Richie; and Sparta, about the life of Ewald, who is struggling with paedophile desires.

Controversy

The Toronto Film Festival cancelled the world première of Sparta in the wake of allegations made in German magazine Der Spiegel that Seidl had informed neither the Romanian children, nor their parents (who were present), about the film’s theme. An abuse of trust, according to Der Spiegel.

Ulrich Seidl: ”Above all, I want the viewer, after seeing one of my films, to leave the cinema a different person. I hope the films have a lasting impact. I want to unsettle the viewer, because if you are unsettled you ask questions and, ideally, questions lead to insight.“

Seidl wrote a public declaration in which he denied the accusations outright. True cinema, so wrote the director, is loyal to his oeuvre, exploring areas people consider uncomfortable, painful and ambiguous. Any moral distinction between ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is not part of cinema’s brief, is his opinion. Watching his films is introduced to a world in which unexpressed desires, neuroses and contradictions are brought to light – going as far as the actors’ dare professionally and non-professionally.