Jurgen Prochnow plays Brenner, a Swiss policeman, in this intriguing and surrealistic movie that grips from the very start. Despatched to a mountain village to investigate both a murder and the disappearance of two of his colleagues who were originally sent to investigate the crime, Brenner soon finds himself caught up in the affairs of villagers who seem to live in a bygone age and who don't welcome outsiders. A tunnel is the only link between the village and the modern world, and as the death toll mounts and Brenner tries to return to his headquarters for help, he finds that the tunnel gates remain resolutely shut, forcing him to return to the village once more. The ending of the film is excellent, leaving the viewer with a lot to think about, but personally I liked this and didn't feel at all cheated. Highly original, with a superb cast and wonderfully atmospheric, it's a great pity that this German language film hasn't been released with subtitles as I think that if it were, it would quickly gain a cult following.
2 Reviews
A chilling and original alpine thriller
surfs_up19765 February 2014
Reviewing films nowadays is tough because there are so many formulated films that don't really come up with a lot of originality but rather distractions to blur their lack of creativity.
I have to admit that I was one of the few chosen ones who has seen this film in theaters (twice!!!). At first I was confused and disgusted but at second view I was fascinated by the bizarre topic and setting.
The basic idea isn't new. Investigator comes to a secluded village, gets rejected and discovers a greater evil that he can't escape. Heard that before, right? So what makes this movie different from the others? First of all, the acting is superb - not in the classical sense - but I buy it, and I think that is the main challenge today. As long as acting looks like acting it is simply acting - but if you manage to make your performance transcend the common reception of acting you open a whole new door. Jürgen Prochnov ironically, though playing well, is not the highlight of this film. It is this morbid chemistry of the villagers that give you chills running down your spine.
The whole story also develops very welcome "hick-ups" at some points that I was delighted by.
I definitely wouldn't recommend this film to the average wow-cinema-movie-goer who expects a linear story line that leaves no room for oddities or surprises. But if you are the kind of person that wants something different and utterly dark, THIS is for you!
I have to admit that I was one of the few chosen ones who has seen this film in theaters (twice!!!). At first I was confused and disgusted but at second view I was fascinated by the bizarre topic and setting.
The basic idea isn't new. Investigator comes to a secluded village, gets rejected and discovers a greater evil that he can't escape. Heard that before, right? So what makes this movie different from the others? First of all, the acting is superb - not in the classical sense - but I buy it, and I think that is the main challenge today. As long as acting looks like acting it is simply acting - but if you manage to make your performance transcend the common reception of acting you open a whole new door. Jürgen Prochnov ironically, though playing well, is not the highlight of this film. It is this morbid chemistry of the villagers that give you chills running down your spine.
The whole story also develops very welcome "hick-ups" at some points that I was delighted by.
I definitely wouldn't recommend this film to the average wow-cinema-movie-goer who expects a linear story line that leaves no room for oddities or surprises. But if you are the kind of person that wants something different and utterly dark, THIS is for you!
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