So the crazy villain in the movie has borderline personality disorder, and of course she harms herself, she is promiscuous and crazy. It's really irresponsible to make these portraits of a disorder when society is so ignorant when it comes to people with those disorders, which are very real and some people are struggling to overcome the stigmas associated with them. How would someone with BPD, who is in therapy and trying to live a normal life feel when watching this BS? Bad is how. It's just a poor decision to label the crazy person in a movie with a real disorder.
5 Reviews
Tight, simple thriller with little detours
IndustriousAngel15 October 2016
Writer/director Ramsauer gets a lot of mileage out of a limited budget, thanks to keeping it small and simple, both plot-wise and by keeping the focus on faces and bodies. Half home invasion, half stalking thriller, the plot centers on two couples fighting for the love of a boy (good casting here as with the four main actors, too - mostly veterans in the TV field but newcomer Lili Epply is very convincing as the crazed antagonist Nicole, too!). First the conflict is more hinted at than open, but sooner or later all pretense flies out the window and things get ugly and uglier.
As with many thrillers, the basic setup is a bit contrived, as are some decisions the protagonists have to take so the conflict stays limited to the four adults, but it never felt outright silly and there was a good buildup of tension throughout the movie - with the one exception of a side-plot prior to the finale where we explore Nicole's past; while this may be well-meant on Ramsauer's part, it stops the action and breaks the tension; besides, the motivations behind Nicole's behaviour seem rather cliché. Otherwise, a very good and intimate thriller, recommended!
As with many thrillers, the basic setup is a bit contrived, as are some decisions the protagonists have to take so the conflict stays limited to the four adults, but it never felt outright silly and there was a good buildup of tension throughout the movie - with the one exception of a side-plot prior to the finale where we explore Nicole's past; while this may be well-meant on Ramsauer's part, it stops the action and breaks the tension; besides, the motivations behind Nicole's behaviour seem rather cliché. Otherwise, a very good and intimate thriller, recommended!
Storytelling disrupted (many times)
qeter5 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes I wonder... What is the driving force for somebody to have the deepest urge to tell something to an audience? What does he/she want to express? In this movie Michael Ramsauer has no other recognizable motif, as to entertain. But why does he want to entertain us? For the money? To get access to funny people? After half an hour into this movie no recognizable reason is left, why he wanted to make it. Non-logical moves by the main characters (always going alone into dangerous situations, mating without need as quick as a dog in a dangerous situation) disrupted me to follow the story. One of the main characters is a cross-border femme fatale. Knowing such persons by myself, I also know that the background of cross-border people is not that the parents did something terrible wrong with their child. Most of them come out of nearly normal families. So, every action in this movie is overdone. But without any sense. Why does Ramsauer always want to go over the top with his story? I for myself came to the conclusion, because somehow the remaining movie time had to be filled. Why is somebody going alone into an enemies house without telling the police (especially, when the brother is the police)? No actors in the world could have rescued this movie. I couldn't wait for the end and did not care anymore, whether it will be a bad end or a happy end. Only out!
Fresh, efficient Austrian Thriller with an excellent cast
stephanmillies26 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Ramsauers directorial debut is a fresh, straight-forward crime story: he doesn't try to stuff too much into the plot and lets a strong cast drive through a pretty conventional plot. The female lead stars also in a very successful Austrian crime show ("SCHNELL ERMITTELT").
The other commentar complained about how the film "portraits" a disorder: - Spoiler alert -
Well, first of all, I think the disorder is portrayed quite well here. Second, no one suggests that EVERYONE with that disorder is dangerous. This is the story about one individual. Third, it's not a crime movie's job to give a medically correct assessment of a disorder or, as the commentary implies, promote tolerance and understanding for a certain disorder. To give the movie a 1 star rating based on a weird 'political correctness' idea is absurd.
In my view, it is part of equality and inclusiveness to have roles like this in all genres. That may include, as it does here, that a person with a disability is a bad guy and/ or harms others. That isn't "irresponsible" towards anyone, it is just a fact of life that good and bad guys may have any color/ gender/ religion/ origin/ with abilities/ disabilities etc. And it's been a thing in movie history forever - remember Hitchcock's PSYCHO? But maybe this masterpiece would not be produced in times of extreme political correctness anymore.
End of spoilers -
Anyway, enjoy the film and educate yourself - elsewhere - about mental disorders, too. But know the difference between a movie and a documentary.
The other commentar complained about how the film "portraits" a disorder: - Spoiler alert -
Well, first of all, I think the disorder is portrayed quite well here. Second, no one suggests that EVERYONE with that disorder is dangerous. This is the story about one individual. Third, it's not a crime movie's job to give a medically correct assessment of a disorder or, as the commentary implies, promote tolerance and understanding for a certain disorder. To give the movie a 1 star rating based on a weird 'political correctness' idea is absurd.
In my view, it is part of equality and inclusiveness to have roles like this in all genres. That may include, as it does here, that a person with a disability is a bad guy and/ or harms others. That isn't "irresponsible" towards anyone, it is just a fact of life that good and bad guys may have any color/ gender/ religion/ origin/ with abilities/ disabilities etc. And it's been a thing in movie history forever - remember Hitchcock's PSYCHO? But maybe this masterpiece would not be produced in times of extreme political correctness anymore.
End of spoilers -
Anyway, enjoy the film and educate yourself - elsewhere - about mental disorders, too. But know the difference between a movie and a documentary.
Good entertainment
knappitsch14 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A thriller made in Austria – any good?
The tagline is: You get into the movie from the very first frame. The story offers an array of very different and well-established characters. The tension grows and grows. Maybe a twist at the end could have added to the story, but all in all a very entertaining film.
The cast is outstanding. Although the story contains very specific and hard to play parts, the entire cast does a brilliant job.
The camera work is excellent too. We all know that these days every filmmaker tries to show what a camera is capable of doing. Drones, cranes, steady-cams, gopro-shots the list is endless. But here the camera is used in a classic way. It has a function: to observe, without being obtrusive. The result is that the audience is taken into the story. The color grading added a perfect touch for the genre. Beautifully shot!
And the sound? Yes the sound is important too. (If not more important). The dialogue is crisp and clear, the sound design adds a lot of subtle layers supporting the story and the sound mix is done in a highly professional and emotional way.
A thriller made in Austria – any good? Yes good. Really good. I enjoyed watching it.
The tagline is: You get into the movie from the very first frame. The story offers an array of very different and well-established characters. The tension grows and grows. Maybe a twist at the end could have added to the story, but all in all a very entertaining film.
The cast is outstanding. Although the story contains very specific and hard to play parts, the entire cast does a brilliant job.
The camera work is excellent too. We all know that these days every filmmaker tries to show what a camera is capable of doing. Drones, cranes, steady-cams, gopro-shots the list is endless. But here the camera is used in a classic way. It has a function: to observe, without being obtrusive. The result is that the audience is taken into the story. The color grading added a perfect touch for the genre. Beautifully shot!
And the sound? Yes the sound is important too. (If not more important). The dialogue is crisp and clear, the sound design adds a lot of subtle layers supporting the story and the sound mix is done in a highly professional and emotional way.
A thriller made in Austria – any good? Yes good. Really good. I enjoyed watching it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
