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| Spine# 502 |
A fatuitous event leads two dissimilar men into a nexus
of despair concerning the life of one innocent girl. Direct Götz Spielmann
examines this conspiracy of discontent as he pulls focuses upon the inner
turmoil and anguish of a small time crook and a small town policeman, who share
a bond sheathed in lead.
Alex is an affable guy living on a sinking island in the
midst of the mainstream, who seeks a better life for he and his girlfriend
Tamara. They need quick cash to escape Tamara’s pimp and escape towards the
bright lights of the big city, but Alex’s infallible plan proves otherwise.
Soon, Alex is resigned to his father’s home, his spiritual vision obscured by
hatred, unable to see the forest around him for the trees. His elderly father
is sick and he finds himself playing parent to the proud Patriarch, attacking
the giant woodpile day after day with a vengeance. Meanwhile, Robert is a
fledgling officer who stumbles upon a bank robbery: as the two felons escape he
attempt to shoot the tires but his first shot is off the mark, killing the
passenger. The cruel hand of Fate directs their lives at this violent
crossroad: Spielmann’s story is not about the character’s actions but rather
inactions, their spiritual journey through emotional oblivion.
The fault with the story is in suspension of disbelief,
the plot revolving on a grandiose coincidence. As Spielmann pursues this
contrivance he waits until almost the halfway point to reveal the device: this
allows the principals room to develop, to transition from caricature into
character.
Beautifully photographed, a mysterious object breaks the
opening shot of dark placid waters, and it’s not until the denouement that we
identify the artifact and understand the act’s implication. This elliptical
structure allows closure to the sullen and foreboding account of all that has
transpired, and gives hope to these fractured lives.
Final Grade: (B+)
CRITERION FEATURES:
Blu-ray (1 disc); DVD (2 discs)
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Götz Spielmann, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- New video interview with Spielmann
- The Making of “Revanche,” a half-hour documentary shot on the set
- Foreign Land (Fremdland), Spielmann’s award-winning student short film, with an introduction by the director
- U.S. theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Armond White
