An absolute waste of money

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Nico, 1988" is an Italian/Belgian co-production in the English language that premiered back in 2017, so still a relatively new movie and this one runs for a bit over 90 minutes. Writer and director is Italian Susanna Nicchiarelli and her work here is certainly on course for becoming her most known work, maybe her biggest success too, if you take a look at all the awards attention it received already. If you take a look at the David di Donatello Awards, where it won a lot and was nominated even more, it feels baffling how lead Tryne Dyrholm got nothing for her portrayal of the title character here. She really is the heart and soul of the film no denying. Her turn as Nico (Christa Päffgen), muse to Lou Reed and Andy Warhol and singer of Velvet Underground, is one thatg really deserves all the awards attention it can get, but obviously this is neither a movie, nor a subject that will make any waves at all come North American Awards season half a year from now. Quite a pity. but this should not take away from the excellent portrayal Dyrholm is giving her and I was really positively surprised by that as what I have seen other stuff from her and not liked some of it at all. But here she does shine and help the fact that some supporting performances and characters are oh so forgettable, more than they were supposed to be in the shadows of Nico. There is major focus on her relationship with her son too and there as well Dyrholm nails all the parts without ever trying too hard at all. The music is a crucial component here. How much you like the movie will have nothing to do with how much you like the music. One character calls it "atrocious" on one occasion and that's a fitting description at times I cannot deny. Some of it is really not great to listen to and that was intended, it's not Dyrholm's failure or anything. But there are also songs and performances that really make a positive impact, especially in the second half of the film and that stay in your head and ears for a while perhaps. And regardless of what you think from some of her songs, they always feel raw and from the heart, but maybe just as ugly as the person singing them and it's fitting how she feels she is only real when she is ugly looking at the quote on one occasion about how she was not happy when she was beautiful, even a model. Nonetheless, the best song in here is Alphaville's "Big in Japan" and this is an easy choice as it also comes with the best scene of the movie when we see Nico and her gang driving slowly along a large group of people celebrating the Day of the Dead and Nico's role as well as her son's in that event are not meaningless at all, even if at least she is not directly a part of it all. But yeah, Nico's rendition of said song during the closing credits is a highglight too. Normally I leave the theater quickly when these credits roll in, this time I was definitely all in until the curtain closed. So yeah, I thought this was a subject and character I would not care too much about, but the longer the movie went, the more I was drawn in by Nicchiarelli's and Dyrholm's work. And I learned a lot seeing this one, some pretty interestting stuff. One of the best character studies I've seen all year, even better that it is all based on real events and (some) real characters, and it all feels so easy with the film never trying to truly make an impact. Maybe not the best title as it is not just about 1988 and you never find out why she is called Nico, but that's fine because you realize early on that she doesn't like the nickname, so why do a great deal of elaborating on it. The definition of talent, there were definitely moments when i felt 3 stars out of 5 wasn't enough, but I don't give half stars, so I guess we have to leave it at that. Of course, I give this one here a positive recommendation and thumbs-up. go check it out.

"Nico, 1988" (2017 Italian-Belgian co-production; 93 min.) is a bio-pick that examines the last 2 years of Nico, the German singer/performer who because instantly famous in the mid/late 60s for her association with Andy Warhol and of course her collaboration with The Velvet Underground. As the movie opens, we are told it is "1986" and we get to know Nico, who is moving into a small and unremarkable house in gray and gloomy Manchester, England. She is about to tour with her new band, made up mostly of second or third rate musicians, but her manager can't afford better. Along the way we see Nico struggling with her heroin addiction. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie is directed by directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli, whom I admit I am not familiar with. In fact, much of this Italian-Belgian co-production features a cast of unknowns, except for Danish actress Trine Dyrholm in the title role (we saw her most recently in the excellent "The Commune"). Dryholme is absolutely sensational as the latter day Nico, and she carries the movie on her shoulders (she is in virtually every frame of the movie). On top of that, Dryholm also does her own singing of the various songs from Nico's solo albums that we hear and watch throughout the movie). Is everything that we watch in this film truly an accurate reflection of how those last two years of Nico's life? I haven't a clue, but one does get the sense that there is a good overall narrative in this film, for whatever that's worth. I likely would've missed this film but for the fact that during a recent family visit to Belgium, I heard about this and then read an interview with Trine Dyrholm in a Belgian magazine. The movie opened the very weekend I was there. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at in Antwerp, Belgium, was attended okay but not great. That's hardly a surprise as this isn't the type of movie that will find a large mainstream audience. But if you are interested in learning more about Nico's latter years in life, you could do a lot worse than watching this movie, and hence I'd readily recommended you do (I have my doubts this will get a theatrical release in the US so check it out on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray).