9/10
Do you know "Faust"?
7 June 2005
It seems that nowadays a lot of people believe they know all the answers, and they do not bother to be modest about it: Who is right, who is wrong, what is morally and politically correct, what is not. It is a common flaw, one that we know from ourselves, our neighbors, our families, even our governments.

In "Muxmäuschenstill", we follow the "works" of one man, who takes his self-righteousness one step further. Mux invents himself as the people's hero, a one-man-army against all kinds of crimes and misdemeanors, be it parking in handicapped spaces or rape and murder. He even founds a private police organization with the fines he collects from the perpetrators. All neatly booked and organized - here's your receipt!

What starts out as a quite cynical, but nonetheless very entertaining satire, soon turns out to be a brutally realistic (I am not a big fan of that jerky Dogma-style camera, but it actually works very well here), deeply German version of "Fight Club" - minus the fights and the schizophrenia. But while David Fincher turns to the surreal, Mittermeier does not. Mux, his views, his attitude, even his looks and words are chillingly familiar. In fact, he is probably one of your friends, too!

And while we watch him taking step by step down a road we instantly know to be a dead end, we cannot help but ask ourselves, if it isn't already happening. Somewhere. Next door? Down the hall?

This is a special film. A brutally honest one. And most importantly: it makes you think.
11 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed