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Toscana (2022)
Better than expected!
This film deserves a much better rating (currently 5.7) imho. Yes, the idea is not new, we have seen several films dealing with a very similar situation, from "A Good Year" to "Under the Tuscan Sun". And many more. But still, "Toscana" does have some merits beside a beautiful location and good camera work. There is much about achieving fame and success as a chef but loosing the love and feeling for cooking and food altogether, plus a father figure the was mostly absent except for a few years of childhood. Of course, there are many cliché elements in the Italy as it is presented and it will never be as bright and Denmark will never be so grey. Yes, it is a feel-good movie, no doubt. And it is very well acted and one can feel the agony with Theo when he realizes what a mess he is about to create and still can not stop it. I like it for this very moment and I gave it a 7.
The Lost Continent (1968)
A little gem
Astonishingly much better than expected, the script to the film gives us real characters with back stories and a long ship voyage to get to know the crew and the passengers plus most of their dark secrets. Hidden dangerous goods are in the bowel of the ship and a heavy storm is coming up but surprisingly, almost no one except some crew members, want to turn around. That alone would make a good story but it is only the outset for the real thrills to come.
The ships scenes (both interior and outside) are very well done and, as so often with Hammer, the actors are well chosen. It can be felt that a considerable larger budget was available. Even some of the special effects are above the average, though as in almost every Hammer horror film, they are the weakest part and ruin some scenes. It would be interesting, how Hildegard Knef got involved in the production, I believe this is her only Hammer film.
Vampire Circus (1972)
Excellent production
You might have your reservations about Hammer films and I fully agree. They have been cheaply made, with a stock of actors and technicians that guaranteed a certain look and feel about their movies which has become very dated. You either like it or not. Of course, there are still differences between directors and subjects though and over the years Hammer had to adept to the change in time and taste too. Gothic horror did not sell well enough at the end of the 60ies unless you put in more sex and gore. This solution began to be possible, when changes in the censorship around 1970 made things more easy to show. But still you think you know what to expect of a Hammer production.
Enter "Vampire Circus" which I have to admit is still looking like a Hammer production, no doubt about it, but... There is so much sex and violence and new ideas that one can only gasp. And real animals, for "heavens" sake! No fake bats that ruined every scene they were in, no furry something that you could not make head or tail of. And really erotic scenes that have stand the test of time which is not easy as you will know. And an unusual amount of blood!
There are familiar faces and some new ones too, the mix is something Hammer is quite known for. But they all do a great job. The fact that some real circus people are performing their stunts is of course of very high importance. The overall theme, revanche, is one of the oldest in horror films and predictability of what comes next was a major drawback in other Hammer film productions. "Vampire Circus" is very hard to predict and some very nice surreal elements keep this film out of the beaten path and the doomed atmosphere of the village gives one little hope for escape.
Mond (2024)
Thought provoking
The story starts in Vienna but soon shifts to Jordania. An Austrian martial arts fighter who had ended her active career and started working as a trainer is in dire straits and welcomes an offer to train three sisters in Jordania. She is hired by the obviously wealthy brother of the girls and Sarah does not much question the motives for this generous offer.
Though this film is an Austrian production we hear far more English and Arabic than German. It is a clever look at what we expect of an Arab country and the film plays with our expectations and fears, he gives us some but not all.
Sarah is booked into a lavish hotel and we already understand that whoever pays for it must be an important man. When she meets the girls in a villa far from the city it is not clear if the girls really wnat to be trained or not. They obviously lived in a golden cage, with bodyguards watching over them and apparently also piunish them if they don't stick to the many rules. Soon Sarah will be drawn into a sectret that brings her in trouble.
The film does not play out as we expect but rather asks us what would we do in Sarahs situation? In Vienna, we saw Sarah training young girls to fight in a ring just for kicks, here she trains three girls who definitely need help. How will she react?
Grand Tour (2024)
What a mess!
Hailed in Cannes for innovative direction, I cannot agree. "Grand Tour" comes as an arty project which would have been better as a travelogue. Alas, the filmmaker wanted to give us a story and lifted an idea from the short story "Mabel" by W. Somerset Maugham, though he forgot to tell tell us about it. The short story is only 5 pages long, which is why the "story" is told to us in a way that feels like a joke told by a person with a speaking disorder. You already know what comes next but out of politeness you have to wait. This is deadly boring and some people fled the movie after the first half an hour and I wish I had followed their example. In between the narrative which is set to be in 1917 and filmed in b/w, we get a lot of contemporary stuff in color. Yes, the camera work is brilliant and the editing too, therefore I give it a four instead of a two.
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Groundbreaking Science Fiction and horror film
Considering the fact that the only rockets that ever worked were the V1 and V2 terrorizing London and its surroundings in WWII, it is a very forward looking story. I agree with most of the other reviewers who praised the quality of the film and the FX effects. I even could see some relations to other films. There is a nod to "Frankenstein" when the creature, still looking human, meets with a little girl who wants him to interact with her puppet. And there are moments from "The Thing", when we see the not yet monster suddenly coming to life and leaving his bed while the scientists unaware are chatting away in the off. There is also a scene when we one of the astronauts walking up a round wall inside the spaceship, demonstrating weightlessness in space, like in "2001 Space Odyssey". And "Alien," since the alien species somehow entered the body of a human and started to transform him from the inside.
The biggest flaw beside a low budget was the casting of Brian Donlevy as Quatermass. He runs through the film like a hippo, and though he has no legal authority, bullies everyone who is in his way. Though this might be asked for in the script, but he gives the character no human dimension, no moment of hesitation or empathy. Andrew Keir, who took over the role for "Quatermass and the Pit" does a much better job. He is ruthless, but still takes care of the people around him.
Ppong (1986)
A young woman alone and how to survive
The movie begins with an almost comedic approach, which it maintains for quite a while, until it finally reveals the tragic side of the plot. It is the story of a young and attractive woman who is married but lives alone most of the year in a poor village during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The husband is a no good, a gambler and presumably also a womanizer who only comes home from time to time to get fresh clothes and money.
As the wife has hardly any money left to survive, she starts to get paid for sex with the villagers. The business flourishes, even though some of her customers are not only neighbors but also married. This inevitably leads to discord, because in such a small village her source of income is no secret. The wives of these men do not stand by and watch the goings-on for long and the situation escalates.
The first of these extramarital activities are still presented to us with a certain innocent charm and plenty of humour, but soon the young woman does not seem to recognize the dangers of her actions and thus also causes her future difficulties. Although we as viewers have of course long anticipated this and disapprove of her actions, the darker tone of this story and the tragedy of the main character become clear as the film progresses. A pushy, somewhat simple-minded farmhand, who constantly stalks her and is the only one to be rejected, is still a poor sap and funny supporting character at the beginning, but he too becomes increasingly unpleasant and at the same time pitiable, because from his point of view he is right.
Suyoocheon (2024)
Not much water in this river
The English title "By the River" is quite misleading, the stream turns out to by a mere brook, or better a kind of canal, build for heavy rainfalls but not much to see in dry times. The same can be said about the film itself. The three protagonists don't carry much water either unless provoked by others. None of them seems to have strong feelings about anything or important aims in their life. They float around themselves as in a kind of dance. We hear a lot of small talk and asian politeness and it takes awhile till we hear what the story is all about. Sadly, the one really emotionally charged moment is soon over and we hear almost nothing of what follows up. Most of the time we see people eating and drinking, aspecially drinking. There is one play acted out with students in the film and that is a very good relection of the whole story. One is forced to have a lot of patience since there is only little development and not all questions do get answered.
Shwisaseuleul geunheola (1971)
An oddity
South Korean trash: a spaghetti western transferred to Manchuria at the time of the Japanese occupation, obviously based on "The good, the bad and the ugly", with three crooks of different orientations chasing after the same treasure. But that's where the similarity in the story ends. Musically, there are echoes of Morricone and the camera zooms and pans wildly, although not everything is always in focus.
The fight scenes are often amusing and seem parodic, although they were certainly not meant to be. The sounds are often too early or too late and everything sounds the same. A punch in the face and a punch in the stomach, it always sounds like a piece of wood being broken in two. The actors are not bad, but the script demands a lot of nonsense from them. At the end it suddenly becomes patriotic, probably a concession to the censors to justify the existence of this movie.
The Mountain Road (1960)
Excellent war movie
James Stewart once vowed that he would never appear in a war movie since they are all very unrealistic. In 1960 he changed his mind and it is clear to see why. The screenplay is based on the book written by a war correspondent in China during WWII. What he saw are the tensions between the allies USA and China in fighting the Japanese. A major problem was the lack of understanding on the American side in the Chinese way of life, their history and beliefs. Racism also is part of the problems. This is one large theme of the narrative in this film.
The other is the responsibility of a superior for his subordinates, and the power to decide over life and death. Stewart's character is yearning for the responsibility of a small outfit of men in charge of destroying an airfield and blowing up bridges and ammunition depots, as well as blocking the only mountain road on which the enemy can advance. In explaining why he wants to do this dangerous job he explains that he wants to be responsible for something meaningful even in the backyard of the war. The longer he is on the road with his men he learns the harsh side of his job. In the dialogue scenes with the Chinese lady, they have to take with them, he sees the many different approaches to the problems he encounters but cannot but react to them in the way he has been trained.
A great film, very realistically done with little action but much to think about. And a brave decision by James Stewart to take on this rather unpopular role. Of course, he was far too old for this part, but surprisingly he does not look his age. Even more remarkable is the fact that he was still in the United States Air Force Reserve when doing this film, and the production has been supported by the Pentagon. I am very glad that I now have a DVD of this film.
Persuasion (1995)
Jane Austen's world perfectly brought to life
A real pleasure to watch and by far superior to the later version with Sally Hawkins. (Sally Hawkins was fine but the whole later production looks like a cartoon version compared with this elaborate rendering of Jane Austen's world.) Amanda Root as Anne Elliot is perfect as the underestimated and unloved daughter of a spendthrift snob of a father and a stepmother right out of Grimm's fairy tales. (Not to speak of being henpecked by her hyper nervous younger married sister.) They filmmakers also managed to make Amanda Root look rather unattractive at the beginning and one wonders how any man could have been so much in love with her as the still lamented Frederick Wenthworth, whom she sent away on the heavy influence of her family, because he was a nobody with no regular income at the time. Years have past when we comes back into her neighbourhood, apparently haunting her serenity and feeling her more wrong then ever before. Cairán Hinds is equally good as the former lover Wenthworth, still hurt and trying hard to ignore Anne and seemingly having a good time without her. Once Wentworth pops up every now and then we notice that Anne begins to look more pretty, even the presence of the man she thinks she has lost forever make her look so much better.
The beauty of this version is not only grounded on the excellent cast but also in the magnificent eye for details, and, although only running a mere 100 minutes, gives the viewer the appropriate feeling of time passing by very slowly (don't get me wrong, I don't speak of the pace inside the story), but time that painfully slows down when being with people you despise or you feel dispised by. I always cherished this book by Jane Austen very much and I'm so glad that finally I found this film that really does it justice!
Andrea lässt sich scheiden (2024)
Great story, well done!
Josef Hader has returned to the director's chair after his first film as a director, "Die wilde Maus", was a great success with critics and audiences. Now he has raised the bar considerably. This time he has taken the subject of his film much more seriously, even if the typical raunchy dialogue can still be heard here. Nevertheless, the core story tells of policewoman Andrea, who wants to divorce her husband and then move from the provinces to the state capital to pursue more interesting police work. But then a stupid accident happens and Andrea's entire life is thrown into turmoil. Along the way, the film uses clear, calm images to show us the simplicity and loneliness of life in an insignificant place somewhere in the countryside.
Birgit Minichmayr as Andrea, who has been the most sought-after Austrian actress in the German-speaking world for some time now, carries the film with incredible presence, and that's a good thing, because the story offers hardly any external tension. Everything happens in the moment and her restrained performance gives the viewer just enough insight to understand her next steps. However, she is supported in the supporting roles by an impressive array of acting greats in some very small but fine roles. Thomas Stipsits in particular, who, like Hader, comes from the cabaret scene and is enjoying increasing success in film, puts on a great performance in the role of the drunken husband of a young man.
Josef Hader appears here as the second main character in the plot, although he primarily acts as a catalyst for the developing story. His character has all the typical Hader characteristics: a loner squared with a penchant for self-dismantling. Despite the occasional situation comedy that arises from this, it is ultimately this honesty towards himself that will ultimately save Andrea from her inner shell.
Marlowe (2022)
This is not Marlowe
As my wife notes, it does say something when I don't watch a film to the end. "Marlowe" is just a waste of time. Not only is it not based on any original story be Raymond Chandler, it is not well invented either. Liam Neeson is way too old for the role and what is worse, he just doesn't get the character right. He appears to be angry about something most of the time, but we don't know why. What is even worse is, the subtle humor that makes the real Marlowe so likable, is missing.
I should mention that I'm a great Chandler fan and therefore maybe too critical. But, for example, watch Robert Mitchum in "Farewell, my Lovely", though Mitchum was too old as well, he got the right feeling for the role and we are on his side.
In the past, quite a number of very different actors tried the Marlowe character, from Humphrey Bogart to James Garner and they all found a way to get us interested in the character's well being. With Neeson's Marlowe I didn't find anything that is worth watching and after a boring half an hour I stopped the film.
Maybe I Do (2023)
Disappointing
Considering the fact that all actors who play the parents in this film have been way over 70 at the time of shooting, they would be better suited to play the grandparents. Diane Keaton and Susan Sarandon would have been 50+ when giving birth. Which gives me the idea that this screenplay with earmarked actors had a long shelf-life until finally green-lighted.
Anyway, the whole story has an ancient feel, switched partners and all that was quite popular in the past. The French probably have done dozens of this kind of film. Nothing new has been added to a forseeable story, it is a feel good movie that should have been done 20 years ago.
Die Nacht der Nächte (1995)
Excellent
An astonishingly well-made comedy in a genre that is clearly dominated by Hollywood, an escape from a routine life into an adventure that takes the character to her limits, but ultimately also back to life. Senta Berger plays with great conviction a wife and mother on the verge of old age who is taken for granted by her family, not loved and growing old. On her 50th birthday, she flees from a party forced upon her into Vienna at night and begins a journey into the underworld, from which she only emerges with great effort and skill.
In addition to the very successful production, the strong star line-up for a television production is particularly striking; well-known and up-and-coming Austrian actors, even in the smallest roles, add to the appeal. Also unusual is the really fast-paced car chase, which is also a trademark of U. S. cinema. The whole story is of course somewhat reminiscent of "Into the Night" and "Eyes Wide Shut", but in this case the pace and humor prevail.
Endeavour (2012)
Excellently developed
Russell Lewis, the mastermind behind the "Endeavour" success, was certainly the best choice since he had one experience with the original "Inspector Morse" and helped to get the followup "Lewis" on his way. His five early screenplays for "Lewis" helped develop the partnership between Lewis and Hathaway.
By the way: Am I the only one who sees the relationship between DS Hathaway and DC/DS Endeavour? Both are very clever, well educated, studied in Oxford and originally trained to take a different occupation before joining the police, loner, awkward opposite women, and like riddles. And both are very respected by their superior.
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
Just plain stupid
"Romancing the stone" was certainly nowhere near any best Comedy List but it is an entertaining film that keeps you watching, silly as it is. "Jewel of the Nile" unfortunately is not in this category. In fact, it belongs to the category Wish I never watched it. Or, as in my case, Stop watching it before you get mad.
The Indiana Jones films imitated the old B-movies storyline with an A-budget. The two films with Michael Douglas try the same thing, alas, with a smaller budget and much weaker scripts. The Jewel film is just plain stupid and not funny enough to overlook it. No wonder Kathleen Turner tried to get out of her contract, she was forced to play unless she would have been sued by the studio.
Midsomer Murders: The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy (2021)
Very bad script
"Midsomer Murders" has never been known for tight and logic plots but this episode really kicks the bottom out of the barrel. When I start to think of the many holes in the story, especially once you "know who did it" you only ask yourself WHY, but I begin to feel like counting the holes in an Emmentaler cheese. I don't want to get into details otherwise I would have to mark this as spoiler which the whole thing is not worth the effort.
I have to say that I really like the series and so far have not complained on IMDB about other episodes, but this...
As a fan of MM one had to endure the outcome of the True-May affair which resulted in the squeezing of people of color into every episode, fitting or not. That they have been completely absent before was definitely wrong and unrealistic for everyone who ever visited England. But this quota filling which takes place now is just as well ridiculous.
The turnover from Tom to John was easier than expected and Neil Dudgeon has been well chosen, and so is his wife, Fiona Dolman, and it is good that she got a proper job. Joyce, the housewife from the original Barnaby, had to be in each episode and the way to involve her in the stories became more and more stupid.
The change of assistants is another subject and not everybody is likable to everyone. But at least there should be some chemistry between them and Barnaby. Unfortunately, Nick Hendrix is by far the weakest sidekick to Barnaby. I cannot imagine that they could not find anyone more suitable for the role. On the other hand, the addition of Fleur Perkins, played by Annette Badland, is a highlight and whenever she comes up is a good moment in the show.
Yannick (2023)
Disappointing
Someone applauds and everyone follows, is drawn into it. This seems to be the case with this film, in the story but also the film itself. Though only 1 hour and 7 minutes long it still manages to be testing your patience. The synopsis of the film presented it in a much better light. Maybe I should have stood up and left, but, like the audience in the film, I was hoping for a satisfying finale act.
In vain! I didn't find the film more entertaining than the play that gets interrupted by Yannick. I don't see the point in this film, where a weak boulevard play is interrupted by someone who roots for an even inferior play. The film makes fun of Yannick, the actors of the play and also the audience in turn. But to see a fool being foolish and being laughed at till he turns the table on the others who now begin to look foolish, including the audience, is no great art either and not really better than the play it mocks.
Of course, you could argue that the story should be looked at as a political statement: a fool, critizising other fools in view of a foolish audience, but honestly, others have done that much better.
Die Theorie von Allem (2023)
Screwed up
It's actually a pity, the initial idea is quite appealing and the title and the advertising strategy have aroused great expectations. However, the film gets lost in a long series of quotes, stylistic devices and plot patterns, which were borrowed or copied from the works of famous directors. Thus, despite many mysteries and twists, the story becomes more and more predictable, and thus more disappointing. Unfortunately, the film completely lacks its own cinematic language, which would be necessary to remember the film as an independent work. As it is, however, it remains only as a thoroughly successful homage to Aldrich, Polanski, Lynch, Hitchcock, Truffaut, and, and, ... in memory.
The film is most convincing in its image composition, the black and white photography is beautiful, followed by the excellent actors. What the film would certainly have scored with is almost not used at all: quantum mechanics is only briefly mentioned, and the main character's groundbreaking theory is never explained, although it seems to be the key to the story. Instead, the emphasis is entirely on confusing the emotions, leaving many interesting possibilities for interpretation. The story never builds up to the great mystery that the title implies and becomes more and more annoying and shallow towards the end. What remains is a visually splendidly made film that is strangely conservative in the end.
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
Silly stuff
If someone had to judge Paul Newman's career prospect and future acting abilities, he would not have great expectations. The film is silly and the acting is generally weak to bad. Joan Collins steals all the scenes she is in and this might tell you something, my friend. Newman, in this film, acts as if acting is something he is trying out for the first time. His wife Joanne Woodward is a bit better but suffers from an ugly wig and bad directing. Jack Carson has to overact almost every scene and it is hard to believe that Newman and he just had great moments in "Cat on a hot tin roof."
Of course, the script is a mess. It is a typical film of a director who was well known for comedy but who had the best part of his live behind him and no feel for modern film making or modern themes. Leo McCarey never was an innovator and at this point in his career he was working like in the 20ies and 30ies.
Every actor has a cardboard character and therefore you don't really care for any of them. The story is so silly that at any point you would expect the keystone cops just passing through (and stealing that scene too). When ever the movie reached a moment when the screenwriter seemed not to know how to handle, we get a fade to black. This film is full of such fade to black moments and by the time you become grateful for them because you fear what nonsense might have been thrown at you instead! They should have put a big fade to black over the whole film.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Still worth watching
This was the first book by Ray Bradbury which I read, more than 40 years ago, and I immediately fell in love with it and the author. Since then, I read everything by Ray Bradbury I could get a hold on, first in German, and later in English. You can imagine in how dear a memory I hold the first book, it still is one of my favourite, not only by the author, but by many other books I read since then.
I saw the film version of the book maybe 20 years later, and I found it quite a mixed bag, sad of course, and still something sparkles...
Where should I begin? You know the back story from IMDB, so I concentrate on my personal impressions.
The actors: Jonathan Price is perfect. He was the best choice of the cast, period. Jason Robards is very good, and since Bradbury loved him, I will not challenge it. Pam Grier is great, wish she would be more present though. The boys are definitely the weak spot, both of them. But the blond one especially, he looks too much like out of a children's program. And strangely, both boys look younger then 12 years, which makes them even more unconvincing.
The look: The film changes between almost horror and corny autumn scenes. The beginning is great and you can't wait for the story to unfold, but when the Indian summer scenes come on, you have to whine, and they don't get any better, just worse. And when the village gets into view you can bet this is not real, the colours are too much and the sky looks like matte painting.
The story: I would not say that most of the original story has been changed, but many of the stronger moments appear to be shortened, or watered down. The great exception is the scene in the library, there you can feel the strength of the book. But the ending is a little weak, and the special effects look cheap and added in after the film flopped at the previews.
The film is not at all bad, I just wish it would be much better!
The Eternal Daughter (2022)
Good drama, but missed opportunities!
A film with Tilda Swinton is always worth watching and so is this one! Though I have to say that I expected a little bit more after I read about the film at the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival). What irritated me were the tags ghost story, supernatural, spooky and so on. Not that I expected a real horror movie, far from it. But not such a lame attempt of a ghost story.
The film starts out with a scene of a foggy country street and a lonely taxi coming along, quite evocative of old Hammer films of the sixties or early seventies. The main setting in an old country mansion turned hotel was a good choice. As was the rather unfriendly receptionist/waitress/housekeeper who raises a lot of questions in the mind of the viewer and is a highlight of the film. The mother and daughter conflict is very subtly done and evolves beautifully the longer they stay at the hotel, and the absence of other guests is quite unsettling.
But, being in a lonely hotel would make even completely relaxed people jumpy and here we have someone who is in a very difficult stage of her life and we could expect much more unusual things for her to hear or see other than what we get here. Tilda Swinton does her best to make us fell uncomfortable, but with this script there is not much to do. A little fog, some creaky trees and a shot of the moon, my, this is what you get in every other episode of Midsomer Murders, I am sorry to say! That is not upsetting or disturbing anymore, in fact it is a cliché and more of a parody. Besides, we all have seen films of people in empty hotels before and therefore you have to bring some new ideas to this setting.
When the film ended I was disappointed, there would have been chances to lead the viewer around but they are missed. I have guessed from the beginning what is reveiled at the end and that did not satisfy me either, I hoped that some twist eluded me, but no.
Pacifiction (2022)
A sloooow burner
Taking place on Tahiti, "Pacifiction" takes a long time to set the story in motion, though director Albert Serra gives us some images to think about. The images are beautiful and the camera dwells on many sets far too long. When I finally got to the end of the film I was tired and regretted that I could not feel as I should.
Well, here is the story: The High Commissioner of the Republic of France, De Roller, has little power but tries to keep peace on the island, when some native representatives inform him of a rumor, that nuclear testing is returning to the region.
Of course, everyone is upset by this idea, though no one seems to know anything in particular. But as De Roller starts to investigate, he finds a number of strange things going on, a group of sailors plus their captain, a Portuguese visitor who's passport has been stolen, foreign shady characters are popping up, a submarine has been sighted and so on.
The more De Roller pokes around, the less he can make any sense out of it but he begins to believe that there is truth in the rumor. In between he manages to coach a local dance group for their performance at his favorite night club, where he also chats with Shanna, a transsexual. Shanna has high hopes to become the secretary of the Commissioner, and De Roller certainly gives him reason to think so by taking him along on some of his visits. This relationship does not seem to be sexual, but the film gives no explanation to what it is that draws De Roller to Shanna.
I don't want to go into more details, but the film is certainly too long, I would say by an hour! Running 2:45 right now, there is no reason not to cut it down, some sidelines don't really advance the story. But despite the length, we hardly see any Tahitians who are not wearing costumes and perform for tourists. Which I don't think is close to reality.
Family Dinner (2022)
Tame countryside horror
The film was advertised as a domestic horror film and the mood and the location was very well met. In terms of action, the whole film takes place on a farm in the countryside (Lower Austria), the actors are all very convincing and were well chosen. Pia Hierzegger is of course fantastic as the aunt, very believable.
The label horror film is too strong for me, although it certainly fits into the genre, but measured against today's usual horror films, the film is already rather harmless, more psychological thriller. Also, the film offers little surprising.
The story: overweight teenager Simi visits aunt Claudia, a nutrition expert, in the countryside (with hopes to be helped with dieting), with (newly married) uncle Stefan and cousin Fillip (from the first marriage of the aunt). Simi feels uncomfortable from the beginning, the cousin a creep, the aunt strict, the uncle too nice?
I felt they got inspired by films like "Get Out," "The Wicker Man," as well as some Hammer films from the sixties. Without giving more away, you definitely guess what the whole thing is leading up to in the course of the film. That's what I meant by unsurprising. I was missing a twist that would change your view of the story and question your perception, so to speak, but that twist doesn't come. Conclusion: well done, but not top notch.