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Brick (not to be confused with the 2005 Rian Johnson film of the same name) is a German sci-fi mystery thriller film written and directed by Philip Koch. The Netflix film revolves around a couple still grieving over a recent tragedy as they find themselves trapped in their house after mystery and indestructible bricks surround their building. Brick stars Matthias Schweighofer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Josef Berousek, and Alexander Beyer. So, if you loved the mystifying concept, thrilling drama, and entertaining characters in Netflix’s Brick, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Cube Credit – Cube Libre

Cube is a sci-fi horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali, who also co-wrote the screenplay with André Bijelic and Graeme Manson. The 1997 film follows a group of people who wake up and find themselves trapped in deadly cube...

After more than 12 years, fans are still confused over The Wall's ending and overall meaning. 

Released in 2012 and directed by Julian Pölsler, this unique German sci-fi drama follows a young woman seemingly trapped in the woods surrounded by a mysterious transparent wall. 

The conversation surrounding the film has been reignited recently, as it popped up on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., allowing international audiences to readily access its mind-bending tale of isolated tragedy. 

Read full article on The Direct.

The U.S. lineup at Mubi next month has been unveiled, featuring films by Claude Chabrol, Paulo Rocha, Ulrich Köhler, and more. Notable new releases include Pedro Costa’s striking Locarno winner Vitalina Varela as well as the Julia Fox-led Pvt Chat (check out our extensive interview with director Ben Hozie here.).

As part of their series Thrills, Chills, and Exquisite Horrors, the Martin Scorsese favorite Wake in Fright joins Mubi, along with Fabrice Du Welz’s Alleluia, Nicolas Winding Refn’s underseen Fear X, and Ben Wheatley’s trippy A Field in England.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

October 1 | Alléluia | Fabrice Du Welz | Thrills, Chills, and Exquisite Horrors

October 2 | Styx | Wolfgang Fischer

October 3 | The Green Years | Paulo Rocha | Double Bill: Paulo Rocha

October 4 | Change of Life | Paulo Rocha | Double Bill: Paulo Rocha

October 5 | Your Day Is My Night | Lynne Sachs

October 6 | Hey, You!

You can’t call a film “In My Room” if you don’t want Brian Wilson’s spare, melancholic verses for the Beach Boys song of the same title to spring to mind: “Now it’s dark and I’m alone/But I won’t be afraid/In my room.” That indeed captures the mood of Ulrich Köhler’s disquieting, wonderfully imagined survivalist drama — the catch is that the room in question turns out to be the entire world, uncannily depopulated and sprawling with possibility, yet often made to feel as small as the loneliest studio apartment. Tracing the uncertain course-correction of a nowhere-bound Berlin manchild after he finds himself, suddenly and inexplicably, the last man on earth, “In My Room” presents and accepts its partial apocalypse with unquestioning calm — an extreme contrivance that merely enables an elegant, exacting character study.

It’s been seven years since Köhler’s last feature “Sleeping Sickness,...

Exclusive: Pti handling international distribution on Maria Blom project.

Picture Tree International (Pti) has picked up Swedish family film Monky, from prolific director Maria Blom (Nina Frisk, Dalecarlians).

Berlin-based Pti will handle international distribution on the project and have also released the first English language trailer.

Watch below or on mobile Here.

The film is produced by Patrick Ryborn for Unlimited Stories, in co-production with the Chimney Group’s Swedish and German branch, Film i Väst, Nouvago Capital and Svt, with the support from Swedish Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Monky is set for a wide Swedish Christmas release at the end of this year through Nordisk Film.

Pti will launch sales on Monky at the upcoming Cannes film market. Other new titles in their lineup includes Wolfgang Petersen’s Four Against The Bank and Julian Pölsler’s Killing Stella.

Monky tells the story of Frank, 11, and his friendship with a mysterious gibbon ape that...

Exclusive: Pti handling international distribution on Maria Blom project.

Picture Tree International (Pti) has picked up Swedish family film Monky from prolific director Maria Blom (Nina Frisk, Dalecarlians).

Berlin-based Pti will handle international distribution on the project and have also released the first English language trailer.

Watch below or on mobile Here.

The film is produced by Patrick Ryborn for Unlimited Stories, in co-production with the Chimney Group’s Swedish and German branch, Film i Väst, Nouvago Capital and Svt, with the support from Swedish Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Monky is set for a wide Swedish Christmas release at the end of this year through Nordisk Film.

Pti will launch sales on Monky at the upcoming Cannes film market. Other new titles in their lineup includes Wolfgang Petersen’s Four Against The Bank and Julian Pölsler’s Killing Stella.

Monky tells the story of Frank, 11, and his friendship with a mysterious gibbon ape that...

Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2014 discoveries”…

Craig Zobel: ”The Wall,” 2012, Julian Pölsler (on Netflix!), Music – the back catalog of The Animals (hear it on your oldies station!), and TV – BBC’s miniseries “Run.”

Lavallee: Z for Zachariah was part of the industry’s consciousness, first as the novel, but then as an unproduced Blacklist screenplay in 2009. We’d like to know, when did this land on your lap, but more importantly, what are the themes/ideas that spoke to you and made you want to make this your next feature?

Zobel: I read the Blacklist script of “Z For Zachariah” prior to reading the novel. It was the script that resonated with me. In the wake of all the post-apocalyptic Ya stories recently, I had been thinking back on the post apocalypse I grew up with, in films like “The Quiet Earth” or “Testament.” Basically these midnight movies,...

It's surprising the late Austrian author Marlen Haushofer’s The Wall (a.k.a. Die Wand) took a full half-century to go from final print draft to the big screen, if only because the novel has maintained a significant following in German-speaking countries for nearly all that time. It’s easy enough to see, however, why it might have stymied filmmakers before writer-director Julian Roman Pölsler finally took the plunge. The book is practically everything conventional narrative cinema recoils from: Basically a first-person, stream-of-consciousness monologue, with our heroine and a dog as the only real “characters,” little in the way of “action” and no explanation whatsoever of the fantastical event that causes her predicament. It’s at once doggedly realistic (in detailing her survival tactics), introspective and bizarre.>> - Dennis Harvey...

It's surprising the late Austrian author Marlen Haushofer’s The Wall (a.k.a. Die Wand) took a full half-century to go from final print draft to the big screen, if only because the novel has maintained a significant following in German-speaking countries for nearly all that time. It’s easy enough to see, however, why it might have stymied filmmakers before writer-director Julian Roman Pölsler finally took the plunge. The book is practically everything conventional narrative cinema recoils from: Basically a first-person, stream-of-consciousness monologue, with our heroine and a dog as the only real “characters,” little in the way of “action” and no explanation whatsoever of the fantastical event that causes her predicament. It’s at once doggedly realistic (in detailing her survival tactics), introspective and bizarre.>> - Dennis Harvey...

The Lives Of Others star Martina Gedeck joins cast of Julia Von Heinz’s Ich Bin Dann Mal Weg (I’m On My Way).

The Lives of Others star Martina Gedeck will join the cast of Julia Von Heinz’s upcoming Spain-set comedy Ich Bin Dann Mal Weg (literal translation: I’m On My Way)

The acclaimed German actress, here in Jerusalem on the Israeli Feature Film Jury, will star alongside Devid Striesow in the cast of the Ufa and Warner Bros Germany production, adapted by Jane Ainscough and Christoph Silber from Hape Kerkeling’s best-selling comedic book about a man’s pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Shooting is due to take place later this summer on the German-language feature.

Gedeck is then due to star alongside Thomas Kretschmann in Arsen A Ostojic’s Second World War drama Man In The Box about an Austrian family who take a Jewish doctor into hiding.

Also on the...

Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2014 submissions (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: Best Foreign Language Film Oscar: ‘The Past,’ ‘Wadjda,’ Andrzej Wajda Among Omissions) In case you missed it, here’s the full list of submissions (in alphabetical order, per country) for the 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. The list of contenders was originally announced on October 7, 2013. Of note: Saudi Arabia and Moldova were first-timers; Montenegro was a first-timer as an independent country. Afghanistan, Wajma — An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram, director; Albania, Agon, Robert Budina, director; Argentina, The German Doctor, Lucía Puenzo, director; Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt, director; Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler, director; Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev, director; Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanovic, director; Brazil, Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho,...

Top brass at the 25th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) have announced a new programme on Canadian Cinema as well as the traditionally strong roster of foreign-language films eligible for the Fipresci Award in the Awards Buzz section, and Modern Masters.

The festival will screen 45 of the 76 official foreign-language Oscar submissions under the umbrella of Awards Buzz.

“We’ve selected Canadian films for a special focus at this year’s festival for many reasons, not the least of which is the wealth of talent emerging from its relatively small, indigenous film industry, and the depth and richness of story and character portrayal its films exemplify,” said festival director Darryl Macdonald.

“Whether it’s established auteurs like Denis Coté, Denis Villenueve and Atom Egoyan, gifted actor-directors like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley or newly emerging talents like Chloé Robichaud, Craig Goodwill and Sébastien Pilote, Canadian creative ingenuity is on abundant display in its films. All of this...

The Wall, Austria’s Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. U.S. : Music Box Films. International Sales Agent: Starhaus Filmproduktion Gmbh

Book-to-film adaptations are known to be tricky affairs. Furthermore, such complexity of translating a text into its visual counterpart becomes more challenging when the written piece is limited in space, characters and dialogue. Director-writer-actor Julian Roman Pölsler’s devotion for Marlen Haushofer’s novel drove him to create a film that could have easily been deemed “uncinematic”. The story deals with profound existential questions via a woman who is stranded in the woods by an invisible barrier, and who must survive a life of emotional starvation with a group of animals as her only company. Almost completely dialogue-free, the journey is one of fully narrated metaphors and poetry by her as she writes to keep track of time and of her thoughts. What could have become something bland is rescued by the subtly of the images and passages that turn it into an almost Biblical odyssey.

After waking up alone in a lodge in the middle of the woods in the Austrian countryside, an unnamed woman (played by Martina Gedeck of Jude Suss and The Baader Meinhof Complex) searches for her friends, an older couple that she accompanied on this trip. As she walks through the roads followed by her loyal dog Lynx, she discovers a bizarre obstacle on her path; there is a wall, transparent and unbreakable. Soon enough, and after seeing other people on the other side of the wall who are not aware of her existence, she realizes that she is boxed in with limited supplies and no idea of what is happening.

As her hopes of being rescued by someone in the “outside” fade away, the woman begins to forcefully develop her primeval survival instincts. She is now exposed to the rules of nature; therefore, she slowly turns into an avid hunter and farmer, but not without a great deal of guilt, doubt, and loneliness. Her journey to self-discovery is plagued with circumstances that are mostly foreign for most living in the developed world. This woman, a city girl, must now face the elements and tough labor, yet, perhaps the most devastating enemy in her new habitat, is the immense silence and lack of human contact that coerce her to think about death.

A 108-minute audiovisual poem is what the director has crafted with The Wall . Said wall becomes irrelevant as the story develops. The woman’s self-imposed boundaries, as those imposed by everyone else onto himself or herself, are what define her as human even when surrounded by beasts.

She is still remorseful to kill, she leans onto the joyfulness of Lynx or her other animals for hope, and once she forgets about the parameters by which the world defines humanity, her animals acquire more value than those granted humanity by birth. In other words, her fellow men become more foreign than the uncertainty, and seemingly terrifying forces of untamed nature. The film includes deep philosophical inquiries; however, it is hidden under an intriguing work of art that although pensive and contained, packs luscious beauty.

There is more to this film that one can possibly cover in a review. The intricate connections it makes with everything that shapes the human experience really stimulates the mind. This woman and the relentless wall represent the constant battle to find meaning, to find significance in the insignificance of one human life, which is all anyone is ever given. She pities mankind because we are intelligent enough to resist our own innate flaws and wants; on the other hand, she hails love as the only hope for a better life, which is unimaginably touching as her world is so crippled with isolation, undoubtedly one must agree.

This is a brave cinematic statement about the human condition. It’s probably one of the most demanding experiences a viewer can have, as it asks for one to link the vast landscapes, the sounds of nature, the woman’s struggle, and the poetry of her writing into one cohesive piece of information. Still, it is worth it. Also, Gedeck carries the film on her shoulders only aided by her relationship with a dog, two cats, and a cow; that’s is a remarkable achievement. The Wall is not for those who want an easy walk in the park from a movie , but for those willing to give into its powerful message, a reward awaits in the form of thought-provoking conversations.

Review First Published on Filmophilia.com

Read more about all the 76 Best Foreign Language Film Submission for the 2014 Academy Awards...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist for the 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar — totaling a not-so-short 76 submitted films.

The number, up from 71 films last year, sets a new record for the category and includes frontrunners such as Asghar Farhadi’s The Past from Iran, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt from Denmark, and Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster from Hong Kong. Abdellatif Kechiche’s festival favorite lesbian drama Blue Is the Warmest Color from France, however, failed to make the cut-off date for eligibility, while India controversially submitted Gyan Correa’s The Good Road over Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox.

  A record 76 countries have entered the Oscar race for Best Foreign Film. Moldova and Saudi Arabia are competing for the first time. Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country. Here's the official list. Afghanistan, "Wajma: An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram, director; Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina, director; Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo, director; Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt, director; Austria, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler, director; Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev, director; Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen, director; -Break- Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic, director; Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendon&cc...

A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the foreign language film category for the 86th Academy Awards.

Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants while Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.

Earlier this year the Academy changed its rule allowing all voting members to vote on the shortlist.

The nominations will be announced on January 16 2014 and the Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 2 2014 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The 2013 submissions are:

Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram

Albania, Agon, Robert Budina

Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo

Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt

Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler

Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev

Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen

Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović

Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho

Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov

Cambodia...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has released the list of the 76 countries and their submissions officially competing for the 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Amongst the high profile entries this year are Australia's "The Rocket," Denmark's "The Hunt," France's "Renoir," Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster," Iran's "The Past," and Saudi Arabia's "Wadjda".

The nominations will be announced on January 16th 2014 ahead of the ceremony on March 2nd. Here is the complete list:

Afghanistan, "Wajma – An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram

Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina

Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo

Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt

Austria, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler

Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev

Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen

Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic

Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonça Filho

Bulgaria, "The Color of the Chameleon," Emil Hristov

Cambodia, "The Missing Picture,...

A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®.

Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants; Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.

The 2013 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director;

Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director;

Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director;

Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director;

Austria, “The Wall,” Julian Pölsler, director;

Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man,” Shamil Aliyev, director;

Bangladesh, “Television,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;

Belgium, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director;

Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, director;

Bulgaria, “The Color of the Chameleon,” Emil Hristov, director;

Cambodia, “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director;

Canada, “Gabrielle,” Louise Archambault, director;

Chad, “GriGris,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director;

Chile, “Gloria,” Sebastián Lelio, director;

China, “Back to 1942,” Feng Xiaogang,...

The 2013 submissions are: Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director; Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director; Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director; Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director; Austria,...

All entries for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards 2014.

Submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards are coming in and will continue until October, when the full list of eligible submissions will be revealed.

Last year, a record 71 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Austrian entry Amour, directed by Michael Haneke.

An initial nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 16, 2014.

Submissions

Afghanistan, Wajma: An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram

Albania, Agon, Robert Budina

Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo

Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt

Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler

Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev

Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen

Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović

Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho

Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov

Cambodia...

New entries from Argentina, Denmark, Lebanon, Lithuania and Peru.

Submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards are coming in and will continue until October, when the full list of eligible submissions will be revealed.

Last year, a record 71 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Austrian entry Amour, directed by Michael Haneke.

An initial nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 16, 2014.

Submissions

* = new additions

* Argentina, Wakolda, Lucía Puenzo

Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt

Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler

Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen

Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanović

Brazil, Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho

Bulgaria, The Colour of the Chameleon, Emil Hristov

Canada, Gabrielle, Louise Archambault

Chile, Gloria, Sebastián Lelio

Colombia, La Playa DC, Juan Andrés Arango

Croatia, Halima’s Path...

★★★★☆ Adapted from Marlen Haushofer's 1962 novel of the same name, The Wall (Die Wand, 2012) is German director Julian Pölsler's debut feature following a career spent predominately in television. Starring the wonderful Martina Gedeck, Pölsler's stripped down, philosophical slice of reflective sci-fi is a breath of fresh air within a genre driven by spectacle. Gedeck plays an unidentified woman who accompanies her cousin and husband to a secluded Austrian lodge. Set within the shadow of the Alps, this isolated cabin is the perfect dwelling for getting away from the hectic rhythm and grind of modern 21st century life.

However, when Gedeck's party embark on a quick trip to the cabin's neighbouring village, leaving her alone with Lynx( the family dog), she finds herself left for an unusual period of time, waking the next morning alone and curious as to their whereabouts. Understandably worried that some tragedy has befallen her companions,...

With a host of television movies to his name, Austrian director Julian Pölsler finally presents his first theatrically released picture with The Wall, a film so bold in its approach and provocative in its narrative, that one can only imagine what he may release as his second feature film. Though something of a fantasy, the concept itself draws similarities to the Berlin Wall, allowing us to place this story in a more naturalistic environment.

We begin by witnessing an exhausted and embittered woman (Martina Gedeck), desperately scribbling down her thoughts, as she recalls the unforeseen set of events which led to her abandonment and current disheartening state. As we proceed into a flashback, we see her on holiday at a picturesque Austrian location, alongside two close friends. One morning when they don’t return from a local trip, she begins to feel anxious and so heads out to investigate. However...

It's hard to belive a film this minimal – part sci-fi parable, part feminist Robinson Crusoe – could contain so much

The wall is invisible and it drops without warning, trapping the film's heroine (Martina Gedeck) within a forested valley in the Austrian alps. Under the dome, the woods are full of wildlife and there's a dog to keep her company. Outside, beyond the glass, the world appears frozen in time; an old man stands forever fetching water from a standpipe. Hard to believe a film so minimal could contain so much. Julian Roman Pölsler's bewitching debut manages to be at once a creepy sci-fi parable, a feminist Robinson Crusoe and a clear-eyed ode to the wonders of nature experienced in solitude. Walden pond with added wall.

Rating: 4/5

Science fiction and fantasyDramaWorld cinemaXan Brooks

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of...

Title: The Wall Director: Julian Roman Pölsler Starring: Martina Gedeck From Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” to “The Simpsons Movie” and Stephen King’s “Under the Dome,” the notion of an area being impenetrably sealed off from contact with the outside world is a well-worn one, full of rich and easy dramatic veins through which to explore notions of human fallibility and transcendence. Unfortunately, said concept gets a tired workout in writer-director Julian Roman Pölsler’s plodding adaptation of Marlen Haushofer’s eponymous 1962 novel — a German/Austrian import so weighed down by a stereotypically angst-ridden voiceover of emotional numbness and philosophical despair that one could be forgiven for thinking Werner Herzog wrote [ Read More ]

The post The Wall Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Julian Pölsler‘s latest psychological drama The Wall opens in limited theaters today, so as usual – we’re here to share the first clip from the whole thing with you. As you’re about to see from this short video, the story looks pretty intense although it mainly focuses on the nameless woman who’s left alone with her own thoughts for years in the Austrian Alps. Check her out! Based on Marlen Haushofer’s classic novel, The Wall story is set in the Austrian mountains and revolves around the above mentioned nameless woman, played by German actress Martina Gedeck, who’s left alone with her own thoughts for years...

The term “adaptation” seems to escape certain filmmakers, flummoxing those who seem absolutely wedded to their material. It squanders a great deal of potential when stories, themes and characters are followed to the letter, ignoring that the shift from one medium to another requires a tremendous transformation of the source material. That seems to be the chief problem with Julian Pölsler's “The Wall,” an elegiac new film that can’t seem to get out of its own way in an attempt to tell its own story, to the point where it feels like two distinctly different warring sensibilities at play. Martina Gedeck is a single woman who embarks upon a hunting lodge with friends, only to be left behind when they head out of town. So accustomed to city life that she enters this gorgeous mountainside cabin blaring American pop music, absolutely terrified by, of all things, their domesticated dog Lynx.

Austrian director Julian Pölsler had quite a task on his hands in undertaking an adaptation of Austrian author Marlen Haushofer.s powerful 1963 novel The Wall, which is kind of like a psychological science fiction coming-of-age survival drama. The film was released overseas last year to middling reviews, and is making its way to a U.S. release today, May 31, 2013. Hopefully nothing gets in its way. Like, I dunno, a wall. Like its title states, this is a film about an invisible wall that appears in the middle of the Austrian countryside. Acclaimed actress Martina Gedeck, best known for her work in the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others, plays a woman who goes off on a vacation and soon realizes that she is completely alone out there, save for her dog Lynx. My guess is the above clip comes soon after she.s come into contact with the wall, and ...

They say that dogs are man (or woman's) best friend, and indeed, their loyalty is just one of the traits that makes those four-legged friends so endearing. Frankly, if we were cut off from civilization, we might actually prefer a dog to be on our side than anybody on two legs. And that basic, intriguing premise is at the heart of "The Wall" from director Julian Pölsler, and led by "The Lives Of Others" star Martina Gedeck. Based on Marlen Haushofer’s classic novel, the actress leads the eerie movie, set in the Austrian mountains, where her unnamed character suddenly finds herself cut off from all human contact by an invisible, unyielding wall that surrounds the countryside where she is vacationing. Accompanied by her dog Lynx, she must now come to grips with her bizarre circumstances, in a film that that tackles spirituality, humanity, solitude, and more. And in this exclusive clip from the film,...

A woman awakens one day to discover her mountain cabin has been separated from the rest of the world by an invisible wall. She can see through it, but she’s unable to pass. As the days turn to weeks and the seasons begin to change her solitude becomes more and more of a threat to her survival. What caused it? Why is it happening? When will it end? Damned if I know, but my ignorance doesn’t stop me from loving the first trailer for Julian Pölsler‘s new film, The Wall. It’s wonderfully atmospheric and creates a real sense of isolation, and if nothing else it makes for an interesting companion piece to the upcoming limited TV series of Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Check out the trailer for The Wall below. There’s no doubt the film is a visual stunner, but the trailer doesn’t reveal what it’s ultimately about...

It’s kind of like the Stephen King novel turned TV series “Under the Dome”, with a big ol invisible dome showing up out of nowhere and a town trapped inside it. Only in this case it’s just one woman trapped inside it, played by Martina Gedeck. I don’t know why the cast list is so extensive, as it seems like the whole movie (at least from this trailer) is just Gedeck’s character walking around with her dog. Check out a new trailer for Julian Pölsler’s film. Yes, you should expect lots of meditative moments where the lead just stares off into nowhere while narrating various abstract thoughts and the like. Obviously most of our readership will have zero interest in this film, but for the one or two of you who likes this stuff, it looks like one hell of a fine Sunday afternoon watch...

The film scripted and directed by Julian Roman Pölsler, based on the novel by Marlen Haushofer, opens on June 7th, 2013 in limited areas, starring Martina Gedeck (The Lives Of Others), Wolfgang M. Bauer and Ulrike Beimpold. Gedeck brings a vivid intensity to her role as an unnamed woman who inexplicably finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall suddenly surrounds the beautiful Austrian mountainside where she is vacationing. Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature. As she grapples with her mysterious circumstances, she begins an inward journey of spiritual growth and transcendence. Based on Marlen Haushofer’s eponymous classic novel, The Wall is both a riveting tale of survival and a gorgeous meditation that raises profound questions about humanity and our relationship to the natural world.

Martina Gedeck's unnamed lead character and her dog, Lynx, are highlighted on our exclusive poster for The Wall. Julian P&#246lsler directs this adaptation of Marlen Haushofer's novel, which follows a woman who decides to live a solitary life in the Austrian wilderness. Check out our exclusive one-sheet before this drama opens in theaters on May 10.

Based on Marlen Haushofer's eponymous feminist classic novel, The Wall is a highly original exploration of solitude and survival set in a spectacularly beautiful Austrian mountain landscape. Martina Gedeck, the brilliant interpreter of the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others, brings a rare and vivid intensity to her role as the unnamed lead character who inexplicably finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall suddenly surrounds the countryside. Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

A glib work of German miserablism, this adaptation of Marlen Haushofer’s 1960s best-selling novel is a visually lush but overly sparse drama, in which Martina Gedeck plays a woman who finds herself trapped by an invisible force in an isolated area of the Austrian mountains.

The inevitability of this one-person show is that director Julian Pölsler feels obliged to provide perfunctory, needless narration alongside Gedeck’s performance in order to spell out every tiny detail of her quandary, as if we cannot see it for ourselves (this is hardly Transformers now, is it?). Rather than convey the protagonist’s consideration of suicide through interesting visuals, it’s all told to us with the utmost banality, the quietly sinister tone, ravishing cinematography and imposing sound design being about the only things that remain interesting throughout.

What will keep audiences most intrigued is the central gimmick, which...

★★★★☆ A well-known, bankable star in her native Germany, Martina Gedeck is perhaps best-known for her role in Oscar-winning Stasi drama The Lives of Others (2006). However, with a sprinkling of luck this may soon change, as recent New Wave Films acquisition The Wall (Die Wand, 2012) gears up for an early-mid 2013 theatrical release thanks to a deserved 'Dare' section slot at the London Film Festival. 'Daring' would be an apt term to describe Austrian director Julian Pölsler's high concept drama, which blends the very best of elements Tarkovsky-style sci-fi with sumptuous vistas courtesy of the same rolling slopes that once hosted Robert Wise's The Sound of Music (1965). Read more »...

14th Mumbai Film Festival (Mff) announced its complete lineup today in a press conference. Mff will be held from October 18th to 25th at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Ncpa) and Inox, Nariman Point, Liberty Cinemas, Marine Lines as the main festival venues and Cinemax, Andheri and Cinemax Sion as the satellite venues. Click here to watch trailers and highlights from the festival.

Here is the complete list of films to be screened during the festival (October 18-25)

International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors

1. From Tuesday To Tuesday (De Martes A Martes)

Dir.: Gustavo Fernandez Triviño (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 111′)

2. The Last Elvis (El Último Elvis)

Dir.: Armando Bo (Argentina / 2012 / Col. / 91′)

3. The Sapphires

Dir.: Wayne Blair (Australia / 2012 / Col. / 103′)

4. The Wall (Die Wand)

Dir.: Julian Pölsler (Austria-Germany / 2012 / Col. / 108′)

5. Teddy Bear (10 timer til Paradis)

Dir.: Mads Matthiesen (Denmark / 2012 / Col. / 93′)

6. Augustine

Dir.: Alice Winccour (France / 2012 / Col.

The programme for the 56th BFI London Film Festival launched yesterday under the new creative leadership of BFI’s Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, Clare Stewart, bringing a rich and diverse programme of international films and events from both established and upcoming talent over a 12 day celebration of cinema. The Festival will screen a total of 225 fiction and documentary features, including 14 World Premieres, 15 International Premieres and 34 European Premieres. There will also be screenings of 111 live action and animated shorts. A stellar line-up of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, master classes, and other special events. The 56th BFI London Film Festival will run from 10-21 October 2012. This year sees the introduction of several changes to the Festival’s format. Now taking place over 12 days, the Festival expands further from its traditional Leicester Square cinemas – Odeon West End, Vue West End, Odeon Leicester Square...

Announced yesterday, the programme for the 56th BFI London Film Festival brings a rich and diverse programme of international films and events from both established and upcoming talent over a 12 day celebration of cinema. The Festival will screen a total of 225 fiction and documentary features, including 14 World Premieres, 15 International Premieres and 34 European Premieres. There will also be screenings of 111 live action and animated shorts. A stellar line-up of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, master classes, and other special events.

This year sees the introduction of several changes to the Festival’s format. Now taking place over 12 days, the Festival expands further from its traditional Leicester Square cinemas – Odeon West End, Vue West End, Odeon Leicester Square and Empire – and the BFI Southbank to include four additional new venues – Hackney Picturehouse, Renoir, Everyman Screen on the Green and Rich Mix, which join existing London venues the Ica,...

One of the clear victors emerging out of Telluride was Ben Affleck‘s The Town follow-up, the political hostage thriller Argo. Featuring a great ensemble including Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman, the film received top-notch reviews for its mix of thrillers and comedy and now we’ve got word it’ll be showing at another prestigious festival.

BFI London Film Festival announced their promising line-up today, which includes Argo, as well as Michael Haneke‘s Amour, Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, Michael Winterbottom’s Everyday, Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa, Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone and much more. Check out the complete line-up below, as well as WB’s first TV spot for Argo.

London, Wednesday 5 September: The programme for the 56th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express launched today under the new creative leadership of BFI’s Head of Exhibition and Festival Director,...

The line-up to the 56th London Film Festival has just been announced and you can see the list of movies coming to the greatest city in the world below. We already knew that Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Mike Newell’s Great Expectations would open and close the festival respectively but now we have the rest of the movies coming to London Town.

Let us know your thoughts on the line-up below in our comments section.

The Festival itself runs from October 10th to October 21st and we’ll be doing our best to bring you reviews from as many films as we possibly can!

London, Wednesday 5 September: The programme for the 56th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express launched today under the new creative leadership of BFI’s Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, Clare Stewart, bringing a rich and diverse programme of international films and...

Experts in auteur cinema, German sales company The Match Factory have quite the sampling this year with names such as Thai Joe (Mekong Hotel – see pic above), Fatih Akin (Polluting Paradise) and Directors’ Fortnight invited The Dream and the Silence by Jamie Rosales proudly making us say ich liebe dich the label, and let us not forget Loznitsa’s In the Fog which is being featured in the Main Comp category.

In The Fog (V Tumane) by Sergei Loznitsa

Mekong Hotel by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Polluting Paradise (MÜLL Im Garten Eden) by Fatih Akin

The Dream And The Silence (SUEÑO Y Silencio) by Jaime Rosales

And If We All Lived Together (Et Si On Vivait Tous Ensemble) by Stéphane Robelin

Barbara by Christian Petzold

Home For The Weekend (Was Bleibt) by Hans-Christian Schmid

In The Name Of The Girl (En El Nombre De La Hija) by Tania Hermida

Just The Wind...

Following up the initial announcement of titles, the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival revealed it will open with the period drama Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell My Queen) today. From director Benoît Jacquot, the drama stars Inglourious Basterds lead Diane Kruger, as well as Léa Seydoux who broke-out in Midnight in Paris and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol this year. Based on, Chantal Thomas’ novel we have the first stills of the film (from Lumiere via The Playlist) that follows the “first few days of the French Revolution from the perspective of the servants at Versailles.”

Kruger, who plays Marie Antoinette here, has only appeared in one big film following her post-Basterds role with Unknown, but I look forward to her future work, especially with this film. I thought Seydoux was great as an action villain in Ghotocol and excited to see her career rise. Check out the stills below,...

The 62nd Berlin International Film Festival to be held from February 9-19, 2012 announced the list of films to be screened in Panorama section. The lineup includes renowned names such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Volker Schlöndorff, Cao Hamburger, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Teona Strugar Mitevska.

No Indian film has yet found a place in Berlinale Panorama 2012. Last year Vishal Bhardwaj’s 7 Khoon Maaf, Kaushik Mukherjee’s Gandu and Phil Cox’s The Bengali Detective were presented in this section.

Feature films to date:

10+10 by Hou Hsiao-hsien,Taiwan

Death For Sale by Faouzi Bensaïdi, France

Die Wand (The Wall) by Julian Roman Pölsler, Austria/Germany

Dollhouse by Kirsten Sheridan, Ireland

Elles by Malgoska Szumowska, France/Poland/Germany

Fon Tok Kuen Fah (Headshot) by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/France

From Seoul To Varanasi by Kyuhwan Jeon, Republic of Korea

Hot boy noi loan – cau chuyen ve thang cuoi, co gai diem va con vit...

The Berlinale's announced today that 20 films are now lined up for its Panorama program. All in all, around 50 titles will make up the main program, Panorama Special and Panorama Dokumente.

10+10 by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wang Toon, Wu Nien-Jen, Sylvia Chang, Chen Guo-Fu, Wei Te-Sheng, Chung Meng-Hung, Chang Tso-Chi, Arvin Chen, Yang Ya-Che and others, Taiwan — see a full report from the Taipei Film Commission: "Funded by the Golden Horse Film Festival and the Republic of China Centenary Foundation, 10+10 [is] a movie comprised of 20 short films by 10 renowned and 10 emerging Taiwanese filmmakers."

Death For Sale by Faouzi Bensaïdi, France

With Fehd Benchemsi, Fouad Labiad, Mouhcine Malzi, Imane Elmechrafi, Faouzi Bensaïdi

Die Wand (The Wall) by Julian Roman Pölsler, Austria/Germany

With Martina Gedeck — Synopsis from The Match Factory: "(1.) The wall is a highly unusual exploration of solitude and survival. (2.) It is the story of a woman who is separated from the...

Based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Marlen Haushofer which has been called "a startling redefinition of ecofeminist utopian fiction" although it sounds utterly dystopic, Julian Pölsler just got some major fundage to the tune of 430,000 euros to make this into a feature. Julian's done quite a bit of made-for-tv stuff, but this will be his first straight feature film and I have to say what a great choice. This will be one of those divergent takes on the post-apocalyptic world like Ever Since the World Ended or Pisma Myortvogo Cheloveka, meaning I'm guessing more towards the arthouse end, or at least hoping.

Amazon's book description:

Originally published in German in 1962 and touted more recently as a feminist's Robinson Crusoe, this somber classic from prize-winner Haushofer chronicles the experiences of a (nameless) woman cut off from her familiar city ways in a remote hunting lodge, after Armageddon has...