Latest news with #VickyKrieps
Geek Vibes Nation
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Hot Milk' Review - Familiar Threads Tied Together By Propulsive Performances
There are flickers of madness billowing beneath the surface as Sofia (Emma Mackey) spends her days tending to her ill mother Rose (Fiona Shaw). Their mother-daughter bond is the epitome of a codependent relationship, and Rose takes on an almost vampiric facade vis-à-vis Sofia. She is zapping life and energy from her daughter, who has a straightforward desire to be free. Hot Milk is as much a battle cry for independence as it is a deconstructive and tragic character study. A pervasive sense of duplicity pervades the bewildered stares and fragmented discussions. A wide-ranging look at trauma and generational baggage, Hot Milk is far from a revolutionary enterprise. Still, it does possess a spirit thanks to the volatile performances by Mackey and Shaw. Set in the scorching summer heat, in the Spanish seaside town of Almería, Sofia takes her mother Rose to consult with a shamanic doctor who possibly holds the cure to the mysterious illness that has left her in a wheelchair. The years of caring for her ill have zapped Sofia of any spirit or zest for life. However, that all changes when she meets Ingrid (Vicky Krieps), an enigmatic traveler who helps her shed her inhibitions and sets her on a course to break free from her controlling mother. As she wrestles with her guilt, resentments, and bitter trauma, the mother-daughter relationship begins to spiral out of control. Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey in Rebecca Lenkiewicz's HOT MILK. Courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release. The greatest strength of Hot Milk is the pairing of Mackey and Shaw as daughter and mother. Their relationship is built on fragile grounds, and the film brings us into the fold from the start. Instantly, we are aware of the fractuous nature made as a result of Rose's condition. Through her dealings with the doctor (Vincent Perez) and her own conflicting statements, we begin to realize Rose's condition is more psychological than physiological. The tension is equivalent to someone dropping a match in a closet and letting the flame slowly burn until the house becomes completely engulfed. Mackey projects a cautious demeanor at the start. Even as her patience grows paper-thin with her mother, she wears a mask. Her point of view is directionless as she goes through life, merely counting the days. At one point, her character is stung by a jellyfish, and it is in this moment that we see that Sofia is desperate to feel anything, even pain. Her life is a series of tragedies and entrapments; she sees the world moving past her while she remains in neutral, not unlike her mother. 'The Ugly Stepsister' Review - The Grimmest Fairy Tale Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey in Rebecca Lenkiewicz's HOT MILK. Courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release. Enter Ingrid, who, as a character, is essentially an enigma, but she is not there to reveal much about herself or add little more than tangential specks to the story. Her function is a trigger for Sofia. As they fall into an intimate relationship, Sofia learns more about herself and ends up seeing Ingrid as a mirror image of herself. A woman beset by tragedy, forever living in the past. This revelation is a jumping-off point for Sofia, who sheds her wallflower demeanor and blossoms. Now the film is clever as it never endorses nor rejects Sofia's transformation. Here is where the film works best as a character study. The destructive and controlling nature of Rose leads Sofia into a dark place. As the summer heat takes its toll, we see a change. Rose, for her part, remains the same, ultimately making this Sofia's story. She is the one transforming and, in a way, becoming free. Vicky Krieps and Emma Mackey in Rebecca Lenkiewicz's HOT MILK. Courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release. Conversely, the film suffers in part by playing with familiar material we have seen in countless films. Portrait of a Lady on Fire comes to mind. So, in a way, Hot Milk is not stale, but repetitive. In addition, the ending is likely to make it or break it for audiences. It is far from a shocking conclusion, but some may question if the construction of the story justifies it. For this observer, the ending has a payoff that, while expected, is the perfect conclusion for Sofia's character. Again, Mackey commands our full attention and leaves in both shock and awe. Hot Milk is unlikely to start a whirlwind of discussion based on its plot, but the intricate nature of the story and the arresting performances give it something to say. Shaw proves indomitable, and Mackey is a wonderful chameleon as she blossoms from a wallflower into a wily wildflower. Hot Milk is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of IFC Films.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Vicky Krieps on Jim Jarmusch, Choosing 'to Not Prepare' for Roles, Ditching Her Phone for a Year
Vicky Krieps is one of the stars featured at this year's 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF). On the opening night of the festival in the Czech spa town, she received its President's Award to a huge ovation. She also introduced a screening of Anna Cazenave Cambet's Love Me Tender, starring Krieps. And she took time to reflect on her acting career, including her upcoming film with Jim Jarmusch, social media, AI and much more in a wide-ranging discussion during a roundtable interview with reporters. More from The Hollywood Reporter First Czech-Viet Feature 'Summer School, 2001' and Anime Series: Duzan Duong Is Everywhere at KVIFF Netflix Says 50 Percent of Global Users Now Watch Anime, Reveals Expanded Slate Dakota Johnson Gets Karlovy Vary Award and Love, Calls Celine Song "Probably the Best Filmmaker of Our Time" During her acceptance speech, the actress had told the loving crowd that she was never cool. Asked about that comment, she explained to the press roundtable: 'It's true. Of course, I'm challenging people's ideas because they think I am cool, because I'm an actor and I do what I want, I say my opinion, and that's cool. But the truth is, it's a journey. And when I started my journey, like all of us, and I went to school, I was not cool. In high school, I wasn't bullied, I wasn't expelled from school, but I never managed to fit in. Yet, I didn't try to be different.' Krieps continued by sharing a story from her time in school. 'I would have been happy to fit in, but I didn't. I wasn't chasing to be special,' she said. 'I remember wearing a tie, because I was thinking: 'Why is no one doing that?' To me, it was just a beautiful piece of clothing. I didn't give it much thought. So I went to school with my tie a few times, and of course, immediately they thought that I'm into girls, and that's a problem, and I just ignored it. I decided not to think about it. Also, I didn't finish my studies because I had a child too early. I never wanted to, but I ended up oftentimes doing things that put me on the outside. It's an illusion what's cool and what's not cool. That's basically what I was trying to say.' Krieps also shared her thoughts on what drives actors. 'I think most actors have a traumatized childhood, and they try to heal themselves,' she said. 'That's why they become actors, and then it's a matter of how truthful you deal with this. How much do you share honestly with people watching you suffer in becoming a person. Life is about becoming yourself. And in order to become yourself, you have to suffer. It's like taking off skin after skin. And a good actor is someone who does that in a way that allows you to see them take off their skin again and again. With every movie, you become more and more yourself.' That led to a debate about social media. 'There's a big misconception, especially nowadays, when you have Instagram or social media and the Internet and these things,' Krieps said. 'Not that it's only bad, but a lot of it is bullshit, because it tells some sort of tale of celebrity, which is not true. Celebrities are usually people who are stuck in another role they've been given, which is 'now you are famous.'' Given the various celebrated roles she has taken on during her career so far, portraying both historical figures and fictional characters, what's Krieps' secret to nailing her roles? Her answer may surprise you. 'I actually choose to not prepare. And it's a conscious choice, because what I'm trying to avoid is it becoming the exercise of Vicky Krieps, the actress, and saying, 'Look at how well I did my homework. I really walk like someone from the 1800s. Or, I really speak like Ingeborg Bachmann.' Because to me, then I let down the audience, because then I take away this moment where I am truly taking off my skin, and I'm truly trying to find something. You're watching me truly trying to survive, truly trying to find an answer to something where there is no answer.' That said, she also suggested that actors may have 'two brains' or use two parts of their brains. 'One brain is always doing the homework,' she argued. 'So the minute I know I am playing [Austrian Empress] Sissi, anything I see around me that is Sissi, I will absorb, and it will calculate.' When she played the Austrian author Ingeborg Bachmann in Margarethe von Trotta's Ingeborg Bachmann — Journey Into the Desert, Krieps didn't seek out interviews with her, though. 'I didn't want to even listen to her speak. I think I heard her speak once before preparing for the movie,' she explained. 'And the crazy thing, and that has happened to me a few times, the brother who's still alive came to me and was in shock because he didn't understand why I spoke like his sister. He was like, 'How did you know?' It was not only about the voice, it was also about certain movements and things people wouldn't know, but he knew. So I think by removing my preparation, I make space for something to come in, which is inspiration, like in music.' Concluded Krieps: 'We all know that with the great musicians, there is something that makes the way they play things different, and it has to do with something that they don't really control themselves. And I think with actors, it's the same. You can open yourself to some different kind of knowledge that is not yours.' In this context, Krieps also shared one thing she dreads in particular. 'One fear I always have is [that of] the imposter, that someone will come and say, 'Oh, look at her just trying to pretend,' because I am not her,' she said. Asked about trying to feel her way into roles and avoid information about characters and avoid distractions in the digital and information ages when the Internet, mobile phones and other technologies rule people's attention, Krieps offered that she is trying to take an alternative approach to it all. 'I think what I'm doing is my sort of silent resistance. I really don't give in to any of this,' she explained. 'I have to give in to it in a way that it is part of my life, because it's just being forced on me. We are all slaves of this thing. But what I can do is: I don't give a fuck. I don't care. I will always say what I think, and I don't care if they think I'm important or not. I don't think it's interesting if I have 'likes' or if I don't have 'likes.' I don't care if I didn't see a text. I don't care if I'm not behaving the way I'm supposed to.' Continued the star: 'Fighting it wouldn't work. I mean, I did not have a phone for a year, and that was wonderful. I might do it again. But fighting it is very difficult, also, because fighting always only generates fighting. If you fight something, there will be something coming back. So I've decided to just not care. I just really don't care. I don't care if I am good for them or the Internet.' How does she feel about AI? 'I cannot lose my energy on fighting something that is, for so many people, apparently so important. Yes, they can have artificial intelligence, but I will just look at the tree, and they can go and they can do what they do, and they can talk about what they talk about. But I myself will look at the tree and be more interested in the tree.' Krieps obviously is happy to avoid all the hype and noise. 'I like silence,' she told reporters. 'There's so much noise nowadays that I just believe in silence. And whenever I can hold silence in a movie, I'm holding it, and I'm also holding it for everyone else. I'm inviting everyone into the silence.' Could she imagine stopping work as an actress? 'I would love to,' Krieps replied. 'I'm kind of stuck in this, also financially…. Having to raise two kids and also being the sole provider, because the father of the kids doesn't really earn money. I can live off this, which is already very cool, and I'm proud of that. But I couldn't yet build a [financial] cushion. I would like to take a break and then maybe write a script or something. I have all this in me. I just need the time and the possibility.' Krieps has had a lot of great acting opportunities, of course. And her latest one is a role in Jarmusch's upcoming Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, which also stars Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Tom Waits and Charlotte Rampling. 'What I really, really love about [Jarmusch] is that he is still just making a movie. He's not trying to make the next Jim Jarmusch. He's not trying to go to Cannes,' Krieps said. 'He's really trying to figure out how to make the movie on set, like a student would make a movie. And that is very, very beautiful. That's very loving, so it was a very loving set, very careful set. Working with Cate Blanchett and Charlotte Rampling was a gift, and we just had so much fun. We were laughing.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fireworks and Lights Dazzle Karlovy Vary as Fest Opening Night Pays Tribute to Jiri Bartoska
Fireworks on July 4 are nothing special in the U.S. But the Friday night fireworks over the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary brought an upbeat end to the opening night of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), which proved to be an emotional rollercoaster. It included stars Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps, who were both honored during the opening ceremony, sharing political thoughts about a divided U.S. and world, laughs and rare behind-the-scenes insights thanks to the opening film, We've Got to Frame It! (A Conversation With Jiří Bartoška in July 2021), and words of thanks in heartfelt tributes to the long-time festival president and legendary Czech actor Bartoška, who died in May at the age of 78. More from The Hollywood Reporter Peter Sarsgaard Gets Political as Karlovy Vary Opens: "The Enemies Are the Forces That Divide Us" Kenneth Colley, Admiral Piett in a Pair of 'Star Wars' Films, Dies at 87 How Jamaal Fields-Green Took Charge of the Tony-Favorite 'MJ the Musical' and Made It His Own Big names in attendance for the opening night included members of the jury for the fest's main Crystal Globe Competition, which includes Roma producer Nicolás Celis, Fremont director Babak Jalali, Czech actor, writer, and director Jiří Mádl (Waves), Berlin Film Festival selector and film critic Jessica Kiang, and Swedish actress Tuva Novotny. The opening ceremony, as is tradition, included a stage show that was choreographed by Michal and Simon Cabani. It featured their trademark on-stage energy as dancers moved in and out of and around beams of light and at times reflected the light with mirrors or used color filters to change the light's appearance. The music moved between the dramatic and energetic and included Hans Zimmer's Interstellar theme. A little bit later, no festival staff eye stayed dry in the jam-packed Congress Hall of the Brutalist Thermal Hotel in Karlovy Vary when host Marek Eben, a popular Czech actor and TV presenter, lauded Bartoška and his legacy. 'People say nobody is irreplaceable. But that isn't true,' he said, according to the live translation provided. At the same time, he left a lasting legacy, Eben argued. 'I don't remember him ever doubting the future of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival,' he said. 'What Jiří Bartoška managed to create is a living organism. If all goes well, it will outlive us all. And Jiří would be delighted to see that.' KVIFF executive director Kryštof Mucha and artistic director Karel Och, both clearly full of emotion, also expressed their thanks to their mentor on stage. Then it was time for the latest addition to the always-popular fest trailers, created by Ivan Zachariáš, which was unveiled during the opening ceremony and also drew emotional reactions from the crowd. It stars Bolek Polívka, a long-time friend of Bartoška's, sitting in a bar and talking to someone across the table from him. 'Another round wouldn't hurt, would it?' he says and puts in a last order for two whiskeys. The camera then reveals that nobody is sitting across from him, but he is clearly talking to Bartoška, telling him that he is giving him one of his two festival awards and a photo of Bartoška with Polívka's nose sticking in from the side. 'You can hang it up there somewhere,' Polívka's says. After the screening of the opening film, directed by Jakub Jurásek, audience members could be heard discussing some of the insights shared by Bartoška and some of the behind-the-scenes insights and jokes presented in the movie. Earlier in the day, people were also seen taking photographs of some of the 30 large-scale outdoor panels placed across the spa town that feature 60 black-and-white photographs of Bartoška, including with celebrity attendees, 'capturing, through the eyes of festival photographers, the most important festival moments as well as unique portraits of the remarkable personality who led the Karlovy Vary Festival for three decades.' Before 11 p.m., it was time for La Roux's Elly Jackson to take the stage for the traditional free opening concert, which attracted a large crowd of fans, festival goers, and opening night guests to the square outside the Thermal Hotel. Hits, such as 'Tropical Chancer,' 'Otherside,' 'In for the Kill,' and the widely-known 'Bulletproof,' along with songs from the fourth La Roux studio album coming out next year kept the crowd grooving under the stars. Not even an apparent leg injury during her on-stage dancing stopped Jackson. Just after 11:45 p.m., it was time for fireworks to illuminate the night sky, bringing the official portions of the opening night to an end. Over the next week, through July 12, Karlovy Vary will present new arthouse releases and discoveries, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Cinematic Cut, which is a cinema version of the popular video game, offbeat gems, and key highlights from the film festival circuit of the past year at what has come to be considered Central Europe's biggest cinema celebration of the summer. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Sarsgaard Calls for Unity in a Divided America at Karlovy Vary Film Festival Opening: ‘There Is No Going It Alone'
Actors Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps were honored at the opening of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival Friday, with Sarsgaard calling for 'collective action' in the U.S. in the face of division. Karlovy Vary presented the KVIFF President's Award to Sarsgaard, who is the winner of the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival, and a nominee for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. More from Variety Karlovy Vary Player 'The Anatomy of the Horses,' Questioning Revolution in Peru, Acquired by Loco Films (EXCLUSIVE) 'Promise, I'll Be Fine' Boarded by Cappu Films Ahead of Karlovy Vary Premiere (EXCLUSIVE) Young European Filmmakers Showcase Work in Future Frames Program at Karlovy Vary Receiving the award, he said: 'Making a film is a collective action […] any actor will tell you that good work is only possible in an environment that supports it […] There is no going it alone.' He continued: 'As my country retreats from its global responsibilities and tries to go it alone, it is also being divided into factions from within, factions of politics, gender, sexuality, race, Jews split over the war. But when there's a common enemy, there is no going it alone. Enemies are the forces that divide us, that individuate us. We all know who they are. Collective action is the only way forward in art and in our happiness. So thank you for this. I couldn't have done it without all of you. And in the words of [Czech statesman and playwright] Vaclav Havel, one half of a room cannot remain forever warm while the other half is cold.' In his honor, Karlovy Vary will screen Billy Ray's 2003 journalism drama 'Shattered Glass,' for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. Krieps, winner of a European Film Award for best actress for 'Corsage,' a performance for which she was similarly recognized at Cannes, also received the KVIFF President's Award. Receiving the award, she said: 'I would like to say I love film festivals. I think they are just the best thing in the world, together with cinema. And if movies are not misused, they can go across borders and transport the most powerful messages. They don't ask for your passport or where you're from or how much money you have, or if you're cool or not. 'I was never cool. I didn't finish my studies, but I'm here, and all I did was I believed in the dream. Movies give us the space to dream and hope. I came with nothing, and, when I leave this planet, I will go with nothing. So unfortunately, even the beautiful award will not go with me to where I'm going, but I will take all the memories and all my dreams, and that's what movies can do. So, we should try and save the movies so they continue to exist, and they continue to spread the word of love and peace and, most importantly, forgiveness.' Karlovy Vary will show Krieps' 'Love Me Tender,' which premiered in this year's Cannes. Other star guests at the festival, which runs July 4-12, include actors Michael Douglas, Stellan Skarsgård and Dakota Johnson. Douglas will present a newly restored print of Miloš Forman's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' and will be joined by Paul Zaentz — nephew of the late Saul Zaentz, who produced the film with Douglas — as well as members of Forman's family. Skarsgård will be presented with the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and will present his latest film 'Sentimental Value,' which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Johnson will also receive the KVIFF President's Award. She will present the romantic comedy 'Splitsville' and the comedy 'Materialists.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Washington Post
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Czech international film festival opens with honors for actors Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps
PRAGUE — The Czech Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was kicking off its 59th edition on Friday with honors for American actor Peter Sarsgaard and actress Vicky Krieps from Luxembourg. Sarsgaard and Krieps are both slated to receive the Festival President's Award at the opening ceremony. The festival will screen 'Shattered Glass,' a 2003 movie directed by Billy Ray, for which Sarsgaard was nominated for a Golden Globe. To honor Krieps, who received a European Film Award for best actress for her role of the rebellious Empress Sisi in 'Corsage' (2022), the movie 'Love Me Tender' (2025) will be shown at the festival.
