Das weiße Rauschen

"Das weiße Rauschen" is probably the first movie that succeeded in giving its audience insight into the tortured mind of a schizophrenic person. "A Beautiful Mind" hammed up the subject by combining it with a love story and mystery elements. This movie, however, is real. So real, that it's hard to watch at times. Director Hans Weingartner makes great usage of Dogma-style camera and avoids all movie clichés. With only a small cast and a low budget this movie comes as close to reality as it gets. It helps us understand this terrible sickness and its victims - the sick person himself, as well as his relatives and friends - without palliating anything. The whole cast is fantastic. Daniel Brühl's performance is just breath taking. He's probably the best German actor at the moment and definitely headed for an international career. All in all, "Das weiße Rauschen" is one of the best German movies I've seen so far. If you can get your hands on it, watch it!

Normally I'm not particularly fond of movies about mental illness and I hate it when an actor automatically gets an Academy Award just because he plays another autistic person or Alzheimer patient. "Das weisse Rauschen" is the exception to the rule. In this film you really get an insight into the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic (played brilliantly by Daniel Brühl - he deserves every award that he got already or will get in the future), because it is so well researched that it appears 100% authentic (the director studied neurology).

And yet the film does not become a clinical case study, but tells an interesting story about a young man, Lukas, who moves to Cologne to share a flat with his older sister Kati (Anabelle Lachatte) and her friend Jochen. At first everything is going fine; they spend their days taking drugs and having fun, but when he abandons his university studies on the first day just because he can't find the enrolment office and when a date with a girl goes a little bit wrong ;-) the audience begins to suspect that there's something wrong with Lukas. After the schizophrenia first breaks out, the movie becomes a very intense experience (similar to the films of Darren Aronofsky or even to "Das Experiment"), because on the sound track you hear the same cacophony of voices that begin to torment Lukas.

Without exception the acting is great. Anabelle Lachatte's character (sexy as hell, but very down-to-earth) may be the worst help a "madman" can get, but it's always clear that she loves her brother and would do anything to help him. Katharina Schüttler in her small role is as good as always. The cinematography has the look and feel of a "Dogma film", but for once it didn't make me dizzy.

All in all, I would say that in comparison to "A Beautiful Mind", "Das weisse Rauschen" is the better film ... much better.

In short: The movie is about Lukas, a boy who moves from his grandparents to Cologne where his older sister lives with her boyfriend. The three take some drugs and out of a sudden Lukas hears multiple voices in his head. After a suicide attempt he is discharged of psychiatry. The voices return as he stops taking his medication. So far, that's the main plot. I was very disappointed, because I have heard so many good critics. Let's start with the positive aspects: The movie is very real, plain and simple shot to make its point. The effects of the voices are great if you own a Dolby surround receiver with 5.1 speakers. The mental illness is supposed to be delivered in its natural form. This works great, but after some time it gets boring. Very well woven is the relationship to his sister. The negative parts: The story is too flat. I expected some insights into the illness itself, some more advice of the psychiatrist, multiple outbursts in different domains. It would have been more interesting watching the protagonist getting healed by the time or how he gets his life together, finds a girlfriend, gets a real job. By the way, has anything to do in his leisure time, some kind of hobby? He seems pretty much in puberty, only drinking, listening to music, driving car etc.

But the main mistake this movie does are the hints given, WHY all this happens. Herety is an important factor for mental illnesses, as well as drug consume. It all doesn't fit together. And instead of showing the options what one could improve or how Lukas learns to cope with his illness they relied on a romantic, Hollywood-like, pathetic ending which doesn't enlist the possibilities one could have with this mental state.

If you expect a movie about a teenager and his problems in a well conveyed style don't hesitate and go see "Das weisse Rauschen". What you won't get is information about the aetiology, the progress, proper treatment or realistic perspective of schizophrenia.

A true masterpiece. The best film ever made on schizophrenia. By far.

The performance of Daniel Brul ist mindbeding. A true milestone of screen acting. You have never seen anything like it.

This movie is so real, it's almost apinful to watch at times, but you just can't stop.

I pity all people outside of germany who can't get acess to this marveluous jewel. Try to get a hold of it by all means. You won't regret it.

Especially if you want to learn what is going on with your son / daughter / brother. Get this movie !!