Angst (1983)

So, apparently this movie is super rare and eventually I got my hands on a bootlegged copy (don't judge me, I'm not proud of it!) The DVD I now own is the short version (at 75 minutes) and has somewhat grainy picture quality. The plot follows the homicidal maniac credited simply as 'the psychopath' (eerily played by Erwin Leder,) who is released from prison where he served time for the murder of an elderly lady only to set his sights on a family living in an isolated house.

   The main character never kills to steal or pillage. He has no use for cash or fineries, and never knew his victims prior to the homicides. He kills simply because he gets off on it. He has never known a life without cruelty or abuse, and this is neither a rationalization or an excuse. Now I'm going to format this review a little differently than the others. Here are some thoughts:

. "Angst" approaches the serial killer genre a little differently than other films of it's kind. First of all, the movie makes no effort to sympathize or rationalize the killer's actions. Unlike, for instance, Gerard Johnson's "Tony" (a very good movie in it's own right) where you grow to feel for the psychopath, Leder's killer is unrelentingly (and perhaps appropriately) loathsome.

. I may be mistaken, but I believe the killer never speaks to any of his victims. We hear his voice through a voice-over narration. This is an interesting filmmaking method, as is the bizarre and jarring cinematography and soundtrack.

. I hate the fact that this guy even got out of prison because he made up some bullshit story about being well. Twice! (the first was for the murder of his mother.) People like this should be kept behind bars for as long as humanly possible, as with all mass murderers and sexual deviants. It's not worth it, people! (Okay, that's my inner Conservative talking, but it's a pretty f'ing valid point.)

. It made me mad when I saw that the wheelchair-bound man-boy (Rudolf Götz) at the home the killer broke into was left alone in the house. I'm sorry, but a man with the IQ of an infant shouldn't be left to fend for himself while his mom and sister are out shopping! He could fall out of his wheelchair... or, shit his pants... or have his home broken into by a necrophiliac serial killer! See, the unthinkable does happen!

. The stand-out actor was definitely Erwin Leder. Rudolf Götz was good too as the mentally challenged man. Silvia Rabenreither and Edith Rosset were a little weak as the daughter and the mother, respectively.

. I was puzzled and relieved that he *MILD SPOILER* let the dog live. My only guess (besides that he was just such a nice guy, har-har) is that he wanted a relic from the killings. Whatever the reason, I was happy that the cute little daschund did not meet a gruesome (and untimely) end. *END OF SPOILER*

   Overall I found this movie interesting because it offers a glimpse into a serial killer's mind. I didn't really find it all that disturbing, but others might be horrified by the violence displayed here, so for that reason I would not recommend it to sensitive viewers. The camerawork and soundtrack are another asset- haunting and strange, it adds to the sense of disorientation and horror the movie is trying to achieve. Watch it, if you can find it.
                                               Rating-
                                                    7.5/10

Paradise: Faith (2012)

   What's impressive and surprising about "Paradise: Faith" is how it takes a sensational premise (a lonely woman with an erotic fixation with Jesus) and does not use it for cheap shock value or as a vicious attack on Catholicism. In fact, it's not really tawdry or sleazy at all- it, like it's desperate heroine, just is. I have not seen the first movie in the trilogy, the thematically linked "Paradise: Love," but after this movie I probably will.

   Instead of building contempt and hatred for it's fanatically religious protagonist, it develops it so that we feel a mix of curiosity and pity for strange, pious Anna-Maria (excellently played by Maria Hofstätter,) but never disgust or rage. She needs her faith desperately, as a human being needs food or oxygen.

 A single woman in her mid-50's, Anna-Maria works as a X-Ray Technician and spends her summers proselytizing the neighbors and no doubt making herself quite unpopular in her town in Austria. Anna-Maria is painfully sexually repressed and endures self-inflicted punishments for her unchaste thoughts. She fancies Jesus quite a bit and finds herself attracted to his gentle strength and kindness.

   Everything abruptly changes when Anna Maria's Arabic, paraplegic husband Nabil (Nabil Saleh) returns after a long, unexplained absence. Saleh is quite good too, developing his character from merely an annoyance to a cruel misogynist who spits on Anna Maria and mocks her passionate devotion to God. Nabil wants Anna Maria to 'fulfill her duties as a wife' and make love to him, but Anna Maria's only love now is God.

   What follows is a battle of wills- between the fanatical Anna Maria and the stubborn Nabil. No love and friendship comes out of this conflict- only violence and bitterness. Meanwhile Anna Maria copes with her impending crisis of faith and her complex feelings for her savior.

   "Paradise: Faith" is similar to the films of Michael Haneke in style- cold, unbiased, virtually devoid of music and littered with long takes. It interested me quite a bit. I hate the dumbing-down of the Christian in Hollywood, as even the craziest is a human being with complex motivations and belief system.

   The film doesn't give us a pat ending or anyone worth cheering for, and that's just fine- Anna Maria is greeted with mixed reactions from her herd of endangered souls. No one wins, no one 'proves her wrong,' and there are no revelations or messages except for this- crazy-devout religion can be a temporary aid for something deeper- unbearable loneliness, repression or isolation. Sometimes someone who seems proselytizing or arrogant is simply lonelier.

   Maria Hofstätter is just perfect as Anna Maria, and you can completely believe that she is this person, who she plays with total sincerity. It is interesting to see her try to 'save' the souls of her fellow man, and the way they react to what could be interpreted as a attempt to connect or or just pure  patronization. An essential art-house film for fans of the genre.
                                       Rating-
                                               8.0/10

Film Review: Funny Games (1997) by Michael Haneke (Spoilers)

How much therapy did this child actor need after starring in this movie?

An affluent couple and their little boy are held hostage in their summer home, the gates and locks installed to provide security ironically keeping them prisoner. They are terrorized and eventually murdered by a couple of clean-cut looking young men who appear -- at first -- to be quite normal except for the white gloves. Most of the violence takes place off-screen, which somehow makes it more unsettling.

Michael (2011)

A tricky film about a tricky subject, Michael is handled somewhat more tactfully than you might expect, but remains a tough watch. Left deliberately ambiguous by the oblique festival trailer and poster, which shows a man and a boy framed by puzzle pieces, it is a sometimes unbearably tense portrayal of human perversion.

   Michael (Michael Fuith), a weasily little man who you might expect for this kind of role, lives an inconspicuous existence in Suburban Austria. In reality, he is anything but ordinary -- he is the abductor and captor of ten-year-old Wolfgang (Markus Schleinzer), who is becoming increasingly defiant about his living situation.

Wolfgang lives in Michael’s padlocked basement, where he is periodically raped (obliquely implied by a non-graphic scene where Michael washes his scrotum after an encounter with the boy), bullied into submission, and given what Michael hopes is enough warm and fuzzy time and traces of a normal childhood to keep Wolfgang compliant.

   It is implied that Michael plans to kill Wolfgang once he reaches puberty. Living a nightmare, Wolfgang becomes more and more rebellious, culminating in an eventual escape attempt.

   The film is minimalism at its most intense, focusing on the practices that make Michael seem at times like a normal human being. He and Wolfgang occasionally seem to have an almost father-son-like relationship, washing dishes, purchasing a Christmas tree, and passing discreetly into the fray of a petting zoo. Sometimes you nearly forget anything’s wrong at all, until some pedophilic dirty talk or foreplay brings you back to reality and forces you to face facts.

   Something is terribly wrong. Wolfgang has parents somewhere who love and miss him, and psychologically, he is splintering, turning into the polar opposite of the unknowing boy Michael goes after later in the film.

   To ask for more excitement in a movie like this is to ask for a nasty brand of moviemaking. Despite its relentless ugliness and bleakness, Michael never sinks to the sewers of  child exploitation. As a critic, though, I would have asked for a more conclusive ending. Placing an ending like this in any movie, let alone a film of this intensity, seems, frankly, a little like cheating.

 Note - Praised by critics for its subtle take on its subject. Free of heavy-handedness and melodrama, the film’s director, Marcus Schleinzer, got several calls from grateful pedophiles, thanking him for his "non-judgmental" portrayal of their kind. It's sad to think there are people like that out there, who will probably never benefit from any kind of therapy an are best kept away from children for the rest of their natural lives.

 

 

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

Ellen is a conundrum to her mother and two doting aunts. Passionate suffragettes and civil rights activists, they have spent their lives helping turn the conventional role of women on its head. Yet Ellen passes up the chance to pursue higher education, and she loves to cook, clean, and nurture people.

Her passion for cooking and nurturing leads her to a position as housemother at an eccentric Austrian boarding school. The local villagers warn her away from the Hallendorf School -- a "devilish" place where atheism prevails, children run wild, and their eccentric professors insist that everyone swim in the nude. Nonjudgmental and passionate about what she does, Ellen sets to work cleaning, making excellent meals, and looking after her flock of neglected children from wealthy families.

Ellen meets many interesting characters at Hallendorf School, including Tamara, an Englishwoman who has reinvented herself as a Russian ballerina, Hermine, the mother of Andromeda, the "self regulating baby," who never uses diapers, and the mysterious and resourceful Marek, who has a secret mission. Along the way, Ellen helps a Jewish refugee escape from Germany, finds romance, and eventually returns to England to provide loved ones a safe haven during the war.

A Song for Summer is a fun novel with several plot twists. The author uses gentle humor, with light shades of Jane Austen, and takes you to the Austrian countryside, pre-World War II Vienna, and London during German bombings. It also explores the world of classical music, which adds another delightful dimension.

I enjoyed the cast of likeable, eccentric characters and the gentle humor, and I loved the scenic views of the Austrian countryside, glimpses of European culture, and bits of world history. However I found myself wishing that I had gotten to know the characters a bit better. My relationships with them felt superficial.
I recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and readers of light romance.

Many thanks to my friend Jen B. for recommending this book. Read another review at The Compulsive Reader.

Rating: 3.5

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me