vol. 35: blips in the routine + German TV rec’s
Guten Tag from snowy Winnipeg.
In the past few weeks, I’ve made it to Montreal, Augsburg, Munich and now am settled into a cozy coffee shop in WPG finishing my writing assignments for the weekend while my bf is off playing a recording session. I made it through a whirlwind week in Bavaria, doing a little residency at an opera house there and a couple of auditions organized as a prize from the organization who sent me to China earlier this fall (& apparently are sending me to Burgundy this summer). My coach advised me to look at the trip as a free vacation where all I had to do were the auditions to cover the cost of the trip. His suggestion helped me enjoy myself and not stress too much… and of course, I kept the Glühwein flowing. My bf also advised me to look at it as a little blip in the routine that keeps life interesting, which I liked. And now it’s lovely to be settled back into some normalcy in Canuck-land.
I do enjoy being in Germany, having spent a good couple of years immersing myself in German culture in order to learn the language. After my travel companion left for an earlier flight and I’d had to enough of chilly Christmas markets on Thursday night, I settled into my hotel with my knitting (👵🏻 alert) & the 1950s rom-com “Sissi” about the Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The film was silly and reminiscent of “The Sound of Music” in its landscapes and filming style (though of course it was in German).
On that note, I thought I’d include a little list of German programs/Netflix etc. I’ve enjoyed while learning German over the past few years.
Dark: This Netflix sci-fi-mystery drama was the perfect mixture of gripping and spooky. Very high production values, my only thing to really criticize is the silly montages with which they liked to end each episode to some funny pop song in English.
Ku’Damm 56: I have a complicated relationship with this show. On the one hand, I was completely addicted to its portrayal of 1950s post-war Berlin and its compelling female characters. On the other hand, it had a really problematic and totally unnecessary rape-forgiveness plot line arc that was hard to move past. Hmm.
Tannbach: Schicksal eines Dorfes: This Netflix show takes place immediately after WWII in a little village called Tannbach and looks at the impact of the Iron Curtain on families. A lot of German cinema these days seems to be obsessed with the period immediately following WWII, and I found this really interesting.
The Empress: Probably the most popular show on this list, this Netflix show is also about Sisi or Elisabeth, the beloved Empress of Austria. Its second season just came out and is pretty compelling and full of lavish costumes and sets. :)
Anyway, I’m sure there are tons more I’m forgetting, like the German Hannah Arendt movie or this other film I remember seeing about a funny group of Holocaust survivors in Germany… On the plane I watched most of the German Netflix movie The Heartbreak Agency after reading about it in a New Yorker article about breakups. 🙃 For those looking to learn German, I highly recommend the YouTube series Easy German, where hosts Kari and Janusz interview people on the streets of Berlin about entertaining topics.
In other news, I just finished reading Joshua Cohen’s 2021 Pulitzer-winning comedic novel The Netanyahus, which I loved and am dying to discuss. Has anyone read it? Any other German TV/film recommendations? Send ‘em my way!!
Wishing y’all einen schönen Sonntag. :)