There are certain countries that I can usually rely on for high-quality films, and Germany is one of them.
They can tell some really hard-hitting stories and not be afraid to tell it in a mature way.
As for this latest German feature, this crept up on me to make me realise this was a great watch instead of just good.
The start is quite ordinary and introduces our main character in a perfectly functional. But as soon as they enter a different world, virtually the entire production changes.
The pacing moves up a few notches, the handheld camerawork gets more extreme, the tension mounts and the energy went to places I was not expecting.
You could really feel the danger our characters were in as it was almost like someone was shouting at your face for about an hour.
Then I think what gave it the icing on the cake was the poignant ending. It showed great realism in the topics being covered. Also, it portrayed the constant struggle that people who live this sort of lifestyle in a very relatable way.
It seemed that this type of story was made for director Julia Von Heinz. Everything just seemed to fall into place and be the right project for Von Heinz and her team.
In terms of the acting, while the performances are pretty solid all-round by the ensemble cast, Mala Emde's leading role is pretty strong. The young German talent had a great screen presence and a natural engagement about her. Her story arch felt complete and I feel the best of her performance was managing to tell the story without saying a word.
The whole experience felt aggressive, muscular, angry and quite tense at times in many ways. It's very well developed, its topics are very interesting and it certainly made me appreciate that way of living a lot more. It managed to be a very rewarding watch.
Rating: 8/10
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