THE CAPTAIN (Der Hauptmann, 2018)

July 27, 2018

Greetings again from the darkness. It’s mind-boggling how many fascinating stories – both large and small – continue to come from World War II, even 75 years later. Writer/director Robert Schwentke (RED, FLIGHTPLAN) abruptly opens his latest with a single soldier desperately running from a posse of Nazi soldiers who appear to be hunting him down. The soldier manages to escape, kicking off an incredible journey that we are informed occurred during the final two weeks of the war (April 1945).

Max Hubacher stars as Willi Herold, the soldier we are to assume has deserted his military outfit and is now dirty, hungry and cold as he evades German patrols. Things change drastically for Herold when he stumbles on an abandoned suitcase neatly packed with a German Captain’s coat and full uniform. We are left to wonder what happened to the officer, but do get to watch Willi’s crazy next few days as he impersonates a German officer and assumes command of his situation.

Circumstances result in “Captain” Herold gaining followers, each of whom are as lost or unwilling to continue fighting as himself. The ragtag group ends up at prison camp Aschendorfermoor … a camp containing German deserters and looters. Herold has convinced those in charge that he has direct orders from Hitler to take command of the camp, and a horrific massacre of prisoners takes place over the next few days.

While this is a stunning story ripped from historical documents, the film works even better as a psychological character study. Herold first employs his newfound power as a survival strategy, but he is soon corrupted by the power of his assumed position. We witness as some blindly follow orders, and we watch (dumbfounded) as Herold’s thirst for power overtakes whatever integrity he might have had prior to the desperation injected by war.

The film moves at a meticulous pace and at times feels redundant. It could have been a stellar short film, but director Schwentke uses the slow pace to allow our shock to grow as Herold evolves into a coy monster (with a fine performance from Mr. Hubacher). Filmed in stark black and white, it offers some beautiful shots from cinematographer Florian Ballhaus (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), the son of famed cinematographer and 3 time Oscar nominee Michael Ballhaus (GANGS OF NEW YORK). The elder Ballhaus passed away in 2017, and the son continues to build his own legacy. Set in Germany during April 1945, this blend of docudrama and black comedy is a collaboration of German, Poland and France, and as a true story, packs quite a punch.

watch the trailer:

Leave a Comment » | Comedy, Drama, War, World Cinema/Foreign | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

VICTORIA (2015)

November 28, 2015

victoria Greetings again from the darkness. You have surely seen more complex and intricate bank robbery movies, but it’s doubtful you’ve seen one more ambitious from a technical standpoint. In a remarkable achievement of commitment, planning, and technical execution (plus some good luck), director Sebastian Schipper and cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grovler deliver 2 hours and 14 minutes with a single take and a low budget. It’s a testament to the cast and crew, as well as the advancements in digital equipment (mobility and battery life).

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948) and last year’s Best Picture winner, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, both utilized extended/seamless takes in fascinating manner; however, it’s Mr. Schipper’s film that takes us through multiple locations – a dance club, the streets of Berlin, the roof of a building, a local café, inside a stolen van, back to the dance club, through an inner city escape, and into a luxury hotel. That’s right … each of these puzzle pieces are generated without ever pausing the camera or editing a shot. You might expect nausea-inducing shaky cam, but instead it plays more like we viewers are along for the ride.

Beyond the technical goodies, we get two fine performances from Frederick Lau as the streetwise and smooth-talking Sonne, and especially Laia Costa as Victoria. The titular character is first spotted enjoying a sweaty dance to thumping club music before leaving the club and bumping into Sonne and his group of “real Berlin guys”. It all seems playful enough, but as the flirtations escalate between Victoria and Sonne, we sense things could become a bit more ominous. The first part of the film really allows us to get to know these two as they get to know each other. Victoria’s childhood story explains much about her reactions throughout the ordeal, and it’s also the point that we realize our infatuation with her is justified.

Things do in fact turn ominous for the group, and a criminal act conducted out of desperation leads to a few action-oriented sequences … each impressive in light of the single-shot approach. No CGI as a fallback and no carefully manipulated sets. Instead, the actors and camera must continue, no matter the glitches or obstacles that real time tosses in their path.

Run Lola Run (1998) may be the best comparison for the frantic pace, but in actuality, the film has no legitimate pairing given the 2 plus hours single shot approach. You may choose to see this for the technical achievement that it is, and the guess is you will be equally impressed with Ms. Costa.

watch the trailer:

 

 

Leave a Comment » | Drama, Thriller | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson