NewScreen was on fire again tonight (sorry… couldn’t resist) with the return of director Christian Petzold. Petzold has held this audience in silent rapture in past MovieNights with Barbara, Phoenix, and The State I Am In, but this was his first NewScreen appearance. With Afire (Roter Himmel) he mixes in more humor than usual, but somehow, that humor serves to heighten the drama.

To me, there is nothing quite as gratifying as looking out from my “station”, behind the bar upon a room full of transfixed faces. That’s what this is all about.