A Concert Built From Chaos

Read Time:5 Minute, 3 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Köln 75
–

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 55m
Director(s): Ido Fluk
Writer(s): Ido Fluk
Cast: Mala Emde, John Magaro, Michael Chernus, Jördis Triebel, Ulrich Tukur
Where to Watch: opens at the IFC Center in NYC on October 17, 2025, and at Laemmle Royal in LA on October 24

RAVING REVIEW: Some stories are so unbelievable that they almost sound like a myth, and KÖLN 75 takes one of those and turns it into something direct, anxious, and alive. The film doesn’t worship the legendary Keith Jarrett concert; it strips away the reverence to show how a masterpiece nearly fell apart before the first note was even played. At its center isn’t Jarrett himself, but Vera Brandes, the promoter who refused to let the night collapse. It’s good to know that you don’t need to be familiar with this story, or even the concert itself, to be able to appreciate this film. It was an incredible experience, and it only adds to it that there's a truth to it all.

Mala Emde’s portrayal of Vera is electrifying. She doesn’t play her as someone untouchable but as a young woman who’s exhausted, frantic, and somehow unstoppable. Her enthusiasm carries the entire film. When a phone call fails, a plan unravels, and the adults seem skeptical, she keeps going. You can see the weight of expectation on her shoulders — not because she’s trying to be a hero, but because she simply can’t bear to let something she believes in die. Emde captures that relentless, quietly desperate drive perfectly.

John Magaro’s Keith Jarrett is the storm she has to navigate. He’s not the angelic figure from liner notes and documentaries; he’s human — tired, temperamental, and aching from real pain. Instead of trying to copy Jarrett’s public persona, Magaro gives us glimpses of the vulnerability beneath it. His frustration feels genuine, not theatrical. He’s a musician trying to protect his art from chaos, even as he becomes part of it. Their interactions — tense, awkward, sometimes funny — create the heartbeat of the movie.

The film works best when it focuses on those moments of friction. KÖLN 75 isn’t a typical music biopic that builds toward a grand, euphoric concert scene. It’s more interested in the messy process — the canceled expectations, the endless calls, the exhaustion that turns determination into something close to mania. Director Ido Fluk shoots the chaos like a thriller, with narrow hallways, rapid movements, and overlapping dialogue that mirrors the rhythm of a jazz piece on the verge of falling apart.

What really stands out is how the film reclaims the story from the mythology around Jarrett. This is Vera’s narrative — the version that history almost forgot. It’s about a young woman who held the night together through sheer willpower and optimism. By centering her perspective, the film doesn’t just fill in a missing piece of history; it reframes who gets credit for miracles like this. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t just happen — it’s held up by people like Vera who push through when nobody else believes it can work.

There are some moments where the film’s structure swings. It occasionally gets lost in Jarrett’s perspective, briefly losing sight of Vera’s driving momentum. And a few bits of exposition spell out ideas the performances already convey through glances and silences. It’s rare for a music drama to feel this unglamorous in the best way possible — no ego, no excess, just the raw mechanics of how something legendary survives its own bad luck.

Emde is the reason this all works. She keeps the tone grounded and gives the story a beating heart. You feel her exhaustion, her optimism, and that quiet relief when it all finally comes together. It’s a performance that captures not just passion, but the emotional cost of believing in something so strongly it almost breaks you.

KÖLN 75 doesn’t chase perfection, and that’s what makes it special. It’s about chaos, compromise, and the thin line between disaster and brilliance. For a film about one of the most iconic recordings in jazz history, it wisely understands that the real miracle wasn’t just the music — it was that the concert happened at all. It’s thoughtful, human, and powered by a performance that refuses to fade into the background. It might not be flawless, but like the night it celebrates, it’s unforgettable precisely because of its imperfections.

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[photo courtesy of ZEITGEIST FILMS, KINO LORBER]

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