Rezensionen Die Stille der Unschuld

The film is highly recommended and a must-buy for Helnwein devotees, but it also generally inspires a desire to engage with art in a broader sense. 5.0 out of 5 stars. Tobias Balke ​

An intense portrait of an uncompromising figure. Absolutely recommended—entertaining, astonishing, and extremely engaging. BR-online

Helnwein willingly opens the doors to his studio, proving himself to be an interpreter of his own work who is as articulate as he is insightful. Film-dienst Insights into the creative process of one of today's most significant contemporary artists. Bild.de ​

The film offers a sensitive glimpse into the intensity of the artistic process and into Helnwein’s personal world—a world that includes his friendship with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of his collectors. Through a blend of cinematic observation and conversations covering art, politics, and society, the film constructs a rich portrait of a modern-day, uncompromising free spirit. Filmladen Kassel

This documentary provides a private window into Helnwein the man—something I truly appreciate. The political and historical dimensions of his art now feel far more accessible to me than before, and his demeanor as a human being—at least as it comes across in the film—strikes me as thoroughly likable. Ariane Zuborn

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His paintings—executed with unsettling precision—have long since become fixtures in the canon of both popular and high culture. And yet, even today, they remain—in multiple respects—a scandal, a provocation, and a transgression of taboos. Since the early 1970s, the artist Gottfried Helnwein has repeatedly depicted desecrated, abused, and injured children in his work, thereby drawing early attention to a taboo subject that, at the time, was simply not acknowledged—or that people simply refused to acknowledge. — Joachim Kurz

Gottfried Helnwein speaks just as openly, unsparingly, and directly about his artistic visions and his inner demons. In extended sequences, the elegant cinematography observes him at work on his monumental canvases, while Helnwein—in voiceover—reflects on his existence as an artist and on his oeuvre with that wonderfully characteristic Austrian wit... With *The Silence of Innocence: The Artist Gottfried Helnwein*, the filmmakers have created a highly recommended artist portrait—entertaining, astonishing, and thoroughly engaging. — Florian Kummert, Bayerischer Rundfunk

With *The Artist Gottfried Helnwein: The Silence of Innocence*, director Claudia Schmid proves that she has rightfully earned her reputation as a creator of authentic artist portraits and high-quality documentaries on the visual arts. In her first feature-length film, she demonstrates—through quiet observation and intimate conversation—that behind the public persona of Gottfried Helnwein the provocateur stands a man with a keen sensitivity to current events and the ills plaguing our society—a man who knows how to draw attention to these issues in a compelling and uncompromising manner. An insightful and accomplished portrait. — t-online.de A must-see for artists, and highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the subject. You simply have to listen to this man! Fascinating and moving! 5 out of 5 stars! — Dennis Niedermirtl

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What defines this film is its incredible stillness. Susu Grunenberg’s calm, almost motionless camera captures Helnwein at work, accompanied only by his disembodied voice recounting his artistic approach and career path. One is inevitably drawn under the spell of the story. It is much like a conversation: the more softly the other person speaks, the more intently one listens.

The only sounds heard from time to time are the voices of playing children—a juxtaposition that carries considerable weight, particularly when Helnwein is simultaneously applying layer after layer of red paint to the image of a white-clad girl. This is heavy material—provocative, yet all the more intense and haunting for it. One might call him the Michael Haneke of the art world. Much as Haneke does in his films, the painter Gottfried Helnwein (himself an Austrian) depicts violence in his work for what it truly is: Aberrant. Repugnant. Destructive. The result is a striking portrait of a painter who rose to prominence through images of abused, disfigured, and blood-drenched children. — *Zitty Berlin*

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Claudia Schmid’s documentary is a package filled to the brim with information—one that demands to be watched again and again in order to truly grasp the universality of this singular artist. — Pro Sieben

Director Claudia Schmid spent an extended period accompanying Gottfried Helnwein—one of the most renowned, yet also most controversial, German-speaking artists of the post-war era—weaving her footage into a striking and comprehensive portrait. — Stern

Produced over the course of two years, Claudia Schmid’s documentary reveals the artist to be a remarkably calm and sensitive individual who captures societal trends with acute precision and reflects them in his work. With this artist portrait, the filmmaker ventures a look behind the public façade of the "enfant terrible," and is rewarded with fascinating interviews that shed light on Helnwein’s biography, views, and inspirations. In doing so, her consistently understated directorial approach proves to be a fitting stylistic choice that does full justice to both the man and his work. — Simon Frauendorfer, Negativfilm

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"At my first exhibition in Vienna in 1971... one day, all my paintings were plastered with yellow stickers bearing the inscription 'Degenerate Art.'... The painted image itself could not have been the reason, for it is, after all, a fiction—two-dimensional, merely a few milligrams of paint on paper or canvas; that is all it is, and it causes no harm. It is not my image that people fear, but rather their own images—the ones within their own minds. My work evidently taps into something that is already present in the viewer's subconscious. If I succeed, at times, in putting my finger on just the right spot, I feel that my work has meaning," says Helnwein regarding his work. Filmverrückt.de

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Gottfried Helnwein is an artist of clear statements, uninhibited and idiosyncratic. He confronts us with the dark sides of human nature. Silently but mercilessly he uses the fate of the innocent child to bring before our eyes the human capacity for suffering, making the beholder a passive, and indeed active, accomplice to injury and abuse. Helnwein is one of the world's best-known and at the same time most controversial German-speaking artists of the post-war period. Helnwein is an artist who thinks in political terms, analysing present and historical world events and revealing, there too, the structures of power and violence. All his life he has addressed the issue of the cruel mechanisms of the Nazi period. His pictures are an ongoing appeal against collective amnesia, deliberate or otherwise. NY Times

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f felt and suffered injustice could scream from a canvas—grabbing, shaking, and slapping the viewer—and if people entering an art opening with absolutely no preconceptions were to emerge at the end deeply moved, shaken, and perhaps even spiritually cleansed, then one would be fully justified in speaking of truly authentic, vital, and significant art in the 21st century. The Viennese painter and photographer Gottfried Helnwein—who received the Master Student Prize in 1970 while studying under Rudolf Hausner—creates works capable of evoking emotions in the observer that leave them breathless. — Pro Sieben

5.0 out of 5 Stars: A Stylistically Assured Documentary – DVD Watched / Purchased! I can understand that this film might not appeal to everyone, but I can only speak for myself: Today, I was truly delighted to finally see a documentary that meets my own standards as a documentary filmmaker. Excellent direction, truly outstanding cinematography, pacing, editing—everything is absolutely superb. The result is an outstanding, substantive documentary—one that is unlikely to be prematurely rendered obsolete by fleeting trends in the documentary genre. This stands in stark contrast to the majority of bloated, gimmicky, and undisciplined films out there—films that strive to be "hip" but end up merely being confusing and (due to a lack of talent) often fail to do justice to their subject matter. Thank you for this wonderful film!! A film with the power to either draw you in or push you away—much like its imagery. Rating: Highly Recommended! " - Tip*, Berlin

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Much like shock rocker Manson, the Austrian Gottfried Helnwein is a singular figure in the art world. He is an outlier—someone who dares to depict the darkest sides of human nature, thereby provoking and shocking his audience. Yet what Manson achieves through his costumes, videos, and music, Helnwein accomplishes solely with paint and brush. The documentary *Helnwein – The Silence of Innocence*—which opened in theaters last week—now offers a glimpse into the mind of this exceptional artist. It presents a rare opportunity for mere mortals to gain some insight into the thoughts of a truly—and not uncontroversial—genius; as such, it is definitely worth a recommendation! Überding / Arthouse

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For two years, director Claudia Schmid followed the artist with her camera, creating an intimate portrait in which Helnwein reveals not only his artistic visions but also his inner demons. Viewers experience Helnwein up close as he works on his creations, listening to him speak about his existence as an artist and the ideas underpinning his art. It is an intimate portrait—as close as a camera can possibly get to an artist's thoughts. Much like Helnwein himself, it is unconventional, not always immediately accessible, yet extraordinarily fascinating. For those who have never heard of Helnwein, this documentary—alongside his artworks, of course—offers a magnificent opportunity to get to know him and his body of work; it is well worth it.

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“Helnwein is my mentor. His fight for free artistic expression and his stance against every form of oppression are the reasons why I chose him as an artistic partner. An artist who does not provoke remains invisible. Art that does not evoke strong emotions is meaningless. Helnwein has internalized this.” — Marilyn Manson

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