The Trouble with Being Born (film)

The Trouble with Being Born is a 2020 science fiction drama film directed and co-written by Sandra Wollner. An international co-production of Austria and Germany, the film stars Lena Watson as an android who was built by a father (Dominik Warta) as a replicate of his young daughter who disappeared years prior.[3]

The Trouble with Being Born
Promotional release poster
Directed bySandra Wollner
Produced byLixi Frank
David Bohun
Andi G. Hess
Astrid Schäfer
Viktoria Stolpe
Timm Kröger
Written byRoderick Warich
Sandra Wollner
StarringDominik Warta
Lena Watson
Music byPeter Kutin
David Schweighart
CinematographyTimm Kröger
Production
company
Panama Film
Release date
Running time
94 minutes
CountryAustria
Germany
LanguageGerman

The Trouble with Being Born premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, and garnered controversy for its depiction of a relationship between a man and an android that resembles his child.[4][5]

Cast

Production

Director and co-writer Sandra Wollner has referred to the film as an "antithesis to Pinocchio".[7] Wollner initially intended to cast a 20-year-old actress in the role of the android Elli, but after removing some of the more explicit elements from the film's script, she instead chose 10-year-old actress Lena Watson (a stage name inspired by Emma Watson)[7] for the part.[4][7] The scenes in which the android Elli is depicted nude were accomplished using computer-generated imagery.[4][5] Watson also wore a silicone mask and wig, which served to both conceal her identity and help her resemble another actress who appears later in the film.[7][8]

Release and reception

The Trouble with Being Born had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 25 February 2020, as part of the festival's Encounters section. It was reported that several audience members walked out during the premiere.[7] The film received the Special Jury Award in the Encounters section.[4]

Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily called the film "a powerful and revelatory achievement [...] complex, artfully crafted, sometimes wilfully perplexing".[5] Jessica Kiang of Variety called it a "desperately creepy, queasy, thought-provoking film", and concluded: "Wollner's lacerating intelligence and riveting craft make this extraordinarily effed-up riff on the 'Pinocchio' legend [...] much more than empty provocation".[1] Chris Barsanti of Slant Magazine gave the film a rating of two out of four stars, and wrote that the film "suffers from the same issue as its moody androids: enervation borne out of repetition."[3]

The Melbourne International Film Festival decided to not screen the film at its 2020 festival, citing concerns raised by two forensic psychologists that it might "[normalise] sexual interest in children" and be "used as a source of arousal for men interested in child abuse material".[9] The decision to remove the film from the festival line-up was denounced by film critics Peter Krausz, Tom Ryan and David Stratton.[10]

References
  1. Kiang, Jessica (1 March 2020). "'The Trouble With Being Born': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  2. Prestridge, James (19 February 2020). "Berlinale 2020: Director Sandra Wollner Talks 'The Trouble With Being Born'". Close-Up Culture. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  3. Barsanti, Chris (26 February 2020). "Review: The Trouble with Being Born Is a Chilly Rumination on Memory". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. Chilton, Louis (27 February 2020). "Android paedophile film sparks controversy and walkouts at Berlin Film Festival". The Independent. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. Romney, Jonathan (16 March 2020). "'The Trouble With Being Born': Berlin Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. Moseguí, Carlota (2 March 2020). "Review: The Trouble With Being Born". Cineuropa. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. Ritman, Alex (25 February 2020). "Berlin Hidden Gem: Underage Robotic Provocation in 'The Trouble With Being Born'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. Vourlias, Christopher (26 February 2020). "Sandra Wollner on Berlin A.I. Drama 'The Trouble With Being Born'". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  9. Quinn, Karl (30 July 2020). "Melbourne International Film Festival dumps android child sex film". The Age. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  10. Quinn, Karl (18 August 2020). "Film critics slam festival for dumping controversial Austrian robosex movie". The Age. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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