Since the films FALSCHER BEKENNER (2005) and UNTER DIR DIE STADT (2010), both of which were shown in UN CERTAIN REGARD as part of the CANNES Film Festival, director Christoph HOCHHÄUSLER has been a fixture in German-speaking cinema. With the melodramatic thriller BIS ANS ENDE DER NACHT he was represented in the BERLINALE competition in 2023.
A new platform on the Internet simplifies drug deals between dealers and consumers in an extremely questionable way. With the help of the trans woman Leni, formerly Lennart (Thea EHRE), the undercover investigator Robert (Timocin ZIEGLER) is to be infiltrated into the environment of the platform inventor Victor (Michael SIDERIS). Contrary to expectations, this succeeds without much effort. But there is a problem: Robert was once very close to Lennart and now has problems getting involved with Leni. This not only causes trouble with his boss (Rosa ENSKAT), but also increases the dangers of the undercover investigation considerably.
HOCHHÄUSLER has set himself some ambitious goals: combining thriller and melodrama, clearly borrowing from the past world of film noir. Not everything works out. As in many German-language films, there is too much whispering, the images are lit too darkly and some characters (Timocin ZIEGLER and Michael SIDERIS) are too shallowly developed. Unfortunately, this also applies to Ioana IAKOB in the role of Victor's girlfriend. Anyone who has seen this actress alongside Vladimir BURLAKOV in Dominik GRAF's exceptional series IN THE FACE OF CRIME will know that her role is simply too trivial.
But some things also work out exceptionally well. The character of Leni Malinowski is played amazingly well by Thea EHRE. A femme fatale in the style of Jane GREER from OUT OF THE PAST / GOLDEN GIFT (1947) is impressively transported into a gender-fluid present. Very convincing and beneficial to the story being told! Thea EHRE was rightly awarded the Silver Bear at the BERLINALE 2023.
Another plus point of this unusual crime film is the great choice of music. It begins with EINE LIEBE SO WIE DU by EUROVISION star Heidi BRÜHL (in 1963 she represented Germany with MARCEL at the EUROVISION Song Contest), moves on to MELODIE EINER NACHT by Esther OFARIM (with the French version the Israeli singer represented Switzerland at the EUROVISION Song Contest 1962) and ends with the unforgettable Hildegard KNEF with her song ICH ERKENN DICH NICHT WIEDER. The song SCHÖNES MÄDCHEN, sung by Esther and Abi OFARIM, is also performed by Thea EHRE herself. This selection of old (but fantastically beautiful) hits defines the role of Leni Malinowski very cleverly, an "old soul" in the form of a gender-fluid personality.
HOCHHÄUSLER was able to shoot his next film LA MORT VIENDRA in the European cinema wonderland of France. With this film he will be competing for the Golden Leopard at the 2024 LOCARNO Film Festival. Hopefully he will achieve greater audience success there than he has so far enjoyed in German-speaking countries. It would be very desirable, because it is long overdue!
