Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE LONELIEST MAN IN TOWN [Berlinale - Berlin, Germany]

The aspect of achievement or goals for life is integrated in the notion of home. But reflection is always finicky in terms of how it wants to regard or present itself as time goes on. With "The Loneliest Man In Town" [Competition], directors Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel tell the story of Al Cook (Alois Koch) in a story about a musician growing older but coming to terms with what he is (but also not dwelling on it). What is interesting is that this is a story of Koch in real life but yet it is not. The directors (seemingly like their previous work) try to blur the lines between reality and fiction. What is interesting is integrating footage of Cook in his heyday (and maybe even some of his mementoes) and having him exist within that reality whether it is even half real or not. Koch's story in the film has him the last holdout of a flat in a building set to be destroyed in Central Vienna. He speaks to the people trying to get him out that he was born there and he doesn't want to leave. His small studio abode is a shrine to his music and tastes. Some of the best parts of the film is him sitting along watching old videos of his performances but also playing his guitar and an out of tune piano.

The idea of who Koch/Cook played with, his wife (who might be gone or not), old girlfriends and wanting to go to America to explore the Mississippi Delta in his late 70s are interesting plot progressions but it is impossible to know what is real and what is imagined. The film in addition was written by Covi and shot in 16mm by Frimmel. Some aspects are done in natural light. Others by candlelight. And yet all serve the story. The whole style of the film works in this way. The only aspect that is a little convoluted is the building owners trying to get him out with a large tattooed guy sleeping on his couch and eating Cook's food as incentive to sign his moving out notice. That sequence of events plays a little over the top but for the most part Koch is a quiet but enveloping presence that holds the film rapt. The directors tend to use non-actors to gain an authenticity and this seems to resound in this film specifically with Koch as their focus. The talent of the man is there undeniably and supposedly he is a fairly decent sized figure in the blues arena where some players would come over from the States and watch/learn from him. Whether or not the reflection is a real one or slightly imaginary, when Koch aka Cook came on the stage after the premiere screening there was a sense of performance and an ode to his idol Elvis which is reflected in the film. Whether or not a good portion is real though continues to be an interesting question. Either way, "The Loneliest Man In Town" tells a story of regret, memory, ambition and reflection. B+

By Tim Wassberg