Die Vogelpredigt

In Die Vogelpredigt, the protagonists of a film Clemens Klopfenstein directed over two decades ago (Das Schweigen der Männer, 1997), Max and Polo, are now looking for him as they need work. Playing with the harsh reality for actors in Swiss cinema, the two actors go on a quest for Klopfenstein in hopes of acting in a new film about sex, crime and thrills. Despite art not selling so well these days, they must first find Klopfenstein, who has vanished. Headed for an Italy rich in myths and visions, Max and Polo go on searching for the filmmaker with their heads full of ideas for scenes, including one of Ursula Andress at the centre of a pietà and several others in which a delightful Migros employee appears regularly. Landing its message without the need to watch Das Schweigen der Männer, Die Vogelpredigt goes down a rabbit hole with Klopfenstein that will certainly make the filmmaker's latest, Cinema bruciato (2024), shine ever more brightly. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)