The Promotion

This film tells the story of a depressed accountant, who works for a firm that is about to go under. He surprisingly gets a promotion from his boss, and will move to an office in another city with the boss. However, he does not react the same way as would be expected.

"Amok" begins with a long continuous shot of the mundane life of Lorenz getting ready to go to work. The shot continues into the hallway then the lift, then a rooftop garden. I appreciate the nice camera work there, but I rapidly lose my appreciation for this film due to the ultra slow pacing. The pace does reflect Lorenz's state of mind well, and the actor playing Lorenz does a very good job in portraying a character that is close to being lifeless. However, the film is just not so interesting to watch. I get the vague idea why he does what he does at the very end of the film, but I just can't get into his brain and make sense of his action. The whole film descends into a mystery and I find the story rather inexplicable.

Achingly depressive, painful to watch, wonderfully portrayed study of descent into self destruction. Masterful in subtlety of hints and clues that guide us through unravelling of a desperate mind destined for utter destruction. Superb cinematography and soundtrack complement the spiritual desolation; the unnerving feeling of bland hopelessness will haunt you for some time. First time in quite a while I din't regret using Netflix :) Just the the title 'AMOK' is not congruent with deliberate resolve main character carries out his plan, 'Promotion', into annihilation, fits better.

Actor Tilo Nest IS this film, in spite of the way the actors are listed here. The film in its entirety follows his tortured character, Lorenz Fuchs, throughout. This is NOT an action film, it does NOT move fast, it is NOT in-your-face Hollywood-style. It is an intense, personal, achingly brutal in its sadness-- a character film with haunting, dread-inducing music and cinematography that left me wanting to jump into the screen to see more-- it is perfect. It is a slow-moving, moment-to-moment film in the most beautiful sense. Details come to light later that are only hinted at in the beginning-- small details that pack an emotional punch. Tilo Nest's face is in closeup through much of this movie and every single nuance is telling-- this is an actor who can unhinge your emotions with a look in his eyes. You FEEL what he feels. Beyond brilliant-- he is haunting and so very real. You will never forget Lorenz Fuchs. I'm so happy that I ignored the two stars-- too often only an indication to me that Americans have trouble with foreign films. It is 5 stars and then some. Troubling in its quiet intensity,j it is exquisite.