A Little Love Package

It’s occasionally suggested (and 2022 is no exception) that the Berlinale has become an almost entirely arthouse festival. This is in contrast to other comparable international film festivals, such as Cannes, Venice or Toronto, where the esoteric offerings are complemented by solid mainstream fare that grabs media attention, raising the profiles of smaller films by association. If the matter ever went to trial, A Little Love Package would be exhibit A. 

Angeliki (Angeliki Papoulia) is hunting for a flat in Vienna; she tours various properties with interior designer Carmen (Carmen Chaplin – with all characters sharing the name of the performer who plays them). It’s a frustrating experience for Carmen, since Angeliki seems disinterested in everything she’s shown. That preceding statement shouldn’t be interpreted as the film’s plot, but merely as an approximate narrative that loosely bonds the visuals together. Viewers may impatiently wait for director Gastón Solnicki to stop setting the scene, and to actually show them something of storytelling substance – something to grab onto. They’ll be waiting a while.

While the film begins with Vienna’s 2019 smoking ban in public places, this doesn’t have any ongoing relevance to the rest of the piece. It’s difficult to make an objective decision as to what is actually relevant, and that’s up to the subjectivity of an individual viewer (who could easily decide that none of it is relevant). Professional actors share the screen with non-professionals, and although the “story” sections have a calm naturalism to them, it’s not enough to maintain attention throughout the film’s runtime.

The visuals, however, are sensational. Solnicki has the ability to assemble imagery like he’s working on canvas, playing with light and creating a compelling atmosphere. There’s the unfortunate suspicion that the piece could be watched on mute without sacrificing anything. The official Berlinale synopsis describes A Little Love Package as a classic comedy. The festival programs hundreds of films each year, so is it possible they got them mixed up? 

Oliver Johnston

A Little Love Package does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2022 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.