"Keller - Teenage Wasteland" is a German-language movie from 2005, so this one is already over a decade old, and it runs for pretty much 1.5 hours exactly. It is the only filmmaking effort by writer and director Eva Urthaler at this point and given the fact that she did a decent job here for the most part I find it a bit disappointing that she has not made any other films. The cast is basically a multicultural mix as the female lead is Italian, there are several Austrians in here, a Serbian and the two male lead actors were both born in Berlin with one of them obviously having exotic roots as well looking at his name. Trepte and Moya were under the age of 20 when they made this one and Urthaler also wasn't 30 yet which makes Friedrich and Rocchetti look like seniors almost. Anyway, one personal problem I may have had with this film is that Trepte and Moya are both actors that I do not really like that much. But it's all subjective. The Italian actress in the center of it all i do not even known, but I have liked Georg Friedrich for quite a while and I wish he could have had more screen time.
Anyway, this is the story of two young men during difficult phases in their lives and their loneliness, frustration and lack of direction results in them committing a terrible crime, namely abducting a clerk from the local supermarket. But after they did, they are just as clueless not only when it comes to their lives, but also in terms of what to do with the hostage now. Obviously money was never a factor here, it all resulted from boredom. Through unlucky coincidence (for the captors), the woman's boyfriend gets on their trail and the situation escalates completely quickly afterward. I think this was already the third time I watched this film and I still like it. I believe the script here is the biggest strength as especially the subtle parts about one character's homosexuality were done extraordinarily well. There are more than just a few scenes that deal with this subject and somehow even give a human side to the possibly least likable character of the film. In movies with such a low quantity of characters, it's always a bit tough because those that are there need to be especially memorable, but Urthaler succeeded to that regard as well. The only thing I did not like too much was really the female protagonist's masochist tendencies as they crossed the line at times I must say and it did not feel too authentic to me. as a consequence I also did not like the ending very much. But with Rocchetti's stunning looks, I can certainly live with it nonetheless. If you enjoy watching films like the one I mentioned in the title, then this one here is certainly worth checking out. I even managed to ignore my dislike for some of the actors thanks to the interesting and tense plot. Go see it!
Anyway, this is the story of two young men during difficult phases in their lives and their loneliness, frustration and lack of direction results in them committing a terrible crime, namely abducting a clerk from the local supermarket. But after they did, they are just as clueless not only when it comes to their lives, but also in terms of what to do with the hostage now. Obviously money was never a factor here, it all resulted from boredom. Through unlucky coincidence (for the captors), the woman's boyfriend gets on their trail and the situation escalates completely quickly afterward. I think this was already the third time I watched this film and I still like it. I believe the script here is the biggest strength as especially the subtle parts about one character's homosexuality were done extraordinarily well. There are more than just a few scenes that deal with this subject and somehow even give a human side to the possibly least likable character of the film. In movies with such a low quantity of characters, it's always a bit tough because those that are there need to be especially memorable, but Urthaler succeeded to that regard as well. The only thing I did not like too much was really the female protagonist's masochist tendencies as they crossed the line at times I must say and it did not feel too authentic to me. as a consequence I also did not like the ending very much. But with Rocchetti's stunning looks, I can certainly live with it nonetheless. If you enjoy watching films like the one I mentioned in the title, then this one here is certainly worth checking out. I even managed to ignore my dislike for some of the actors thanks to the interesting and tense plot. Go see it!
