"Allein" is an award-winning big screen release from 2004, so this film will soon have its 15th anniversary already and it is a bit sad that writer and director Thomas Durchschlag did not manage to build a successful cinema career on his early career effort here. But maybe it's happening now as he finally has his second full feature film coming out in 2017 this year. Back to this 1.5-hour film we got here: It is really all about Lavinia Wilson as she is not just breathtakingly gorgeous, but also gives what can be considered her career-defining performance as she plays a young woman with a disorder that keeps wreaking havoc in her life and maybe destroying her biggest and best shot at happiness eventually. I must admit I do not know a whole lot about the illness she is suffering from and don't know anybody who has it, but it felt like an authentic display from both the actress and the writer. But acting and writing are among the film's biggest strengths. It is also a pretty atmospheric watch and I found it easy to care for the main character. There are cast members in here that German film buffs will immediately recognize, even if they don't have a huge deal of screen time. The ending almost felt as if they may come up with a sequel and I think they made a good decision when to let the closing credits roll in. It's no unrealistically happy ending (thank God!), but there is an aura of optimism to it, even if it stays a pretty devastating situation and several conflicts are far from solved. But this is how it should be as a rushed-in feel-good ending would have been cringeworthy and a tasteless insult to those really suffering from the same disorder. So yes Wilson alone is reason enough for you to check out these slightly under 90 minutes. I give "Alone" a thumbs-up.
Review of Allein
