"Hinter Kaifeck" is the so far last theatrical release directed by German Esther Gronenborn. It stars Benno Fürmann and Alexandra Maria Lara and is a mystery story set in a small German town. Father and son, with a passion for photography, come to this place and meet the crime scene where a whole family was murdered decades ago. All the townsfolk are reluctant to talk to them about what happened except one female who also offers them a place to stay in her hotel.
There are many references about premonitions, visions and nightmare dreams and the atmosphere created at the start of the film is only sufficient to keep the audience attracted for 30 minutes at best. The story is just pretty weak all in all and the acting from the protagonists isn't particularly captivating either. Yet to see a movie where Fürmann really wows me, although he is not as bad here as he is in some of his other works. Most of the swampy landscape scenes are pretty meager and there are also some devil references. I did not understand why he would not simply leave the place when he realizes his son's life may be in danger, not to mention his own. And same can be said for Lara's character near the end when she does not join the two and flee from this cursed place.
The film runs for under 90 minutes, but nonetheless it felt occasionally as if it dragged to me. The visual side and atmosphere just cannot make up for all its other deficits. It's the mix of a poor man's version of "The Suixth Sense" that meets the poor man's version of "Where the Wild Things Are". The people in furry costumes felt pretty ridiculous to me, and not in a good way. Basically, it's the epitome of "style over substance, so I cannot recommend watching it. Not even the fact that it is very loosely based on a true story makes it particularly interesting with that execution.
There are many references about premonitions, visions and nightmare dreams and the atmosphere created at the start of the film is only sufficient to keep the audience attracted for 30 minutes at best. The story is just pretty weak all in all and the acting from the protagonists isn't particularly captivating either. Yet to see a movie where Fürmann really wows me, although he is not as bad here as he is in some of his other works. Most of the swampy landscape scenes are pretty meager and there are also some devil references. I did not understand why he would not simply leave the place when he realizes his son's life may be in danger, not to mention his own. And same can be said for Lara's character near the end when she does not join the two and flee from this cursed place.
The film runs for under 90 minutes, but nonetheless it felt occasionally as if it dragged to me. The visual side and atmosphere just cannot make up for all its other deficits. It's the mix of a poor man's version of "The Suixth Sense" that meets the poor man's version of "Where the Wild Things Are". The people in furry costumes felt pretty ridiculous to me, and not in a good way. Basically, it's the epitome of "style over substance, so I cannot recommend watching it. Not even the fact that it is very loosely based on a true story makes it particularly interesting with that execution.