6.4 stars.
This film is very well made, but the execution is clumsy. The music is outstanding and I have to comment on it, because it evokes a pretty scary feeling. The acting is tolerable and the direction is wonderful, the lighting and camera work is without fault. Okay, so what could be wrong with this movie if I've just praised every aspect of it? Well, I didn't give any accolades for the script and the story itself. The story is repetitive, and so this is just the same film done a million times, but the only difference for me is that it was done in Germany, which gives it just a smidge feeling of something "different". The script is atrocious and there is no way they could make this a very entertaining film. Some of the characters are not believable and just too weird, so there is no sense of authenticity. It's too robotic at times and wooden at times.
I assume since the setting is Germany that most of the actors are German. However, the two main characters are Americans.
It's a movie about a cult and it's obviously a Satanic one. There are some apparitions and after life visions and odd stuff like that and it's an eerie experience for sure. I think the whole film was done so well, I just wish they had a better script and a bit more originality.
Bana's character is supposedly an absentee father, but unfortunately he was a bit absentee with his acting. I said most of the acting was good, but strangely enough, the Americans left something to be desired. The Germans stole the show.
This film is not quite good enough for me to want to ever see it again, therefore it must fall below 7, but I can't say it's any less than 6.4, because it's a really accomplished presentation outside of the flat script.
