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In German, revanche means revenge, and while revenge is a major thread in Revanche, it is not all of what Austrian filmmaker Götz Spielmann has in mind for his neo-noir psychological thriller.
Writer/director Spielmann starts his film with two couples leading very different lives. One couple is working in a bordello in a seedy section of Vienna, and the other couple lives an ordered life in the Austrian countryside. It is the eventual intersection of these lives that forms the backbone of Spielmann’s film and from which he has created a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions.
The Viennese couple, Alex and Tamara, work for a sleazy bordello owner. Alex is the bouncer and assistant at the bordello, and Tamara is a Ukranian sex worker. Alex and Tamara have fallen in love and wish to escape their sordid lives. To accomplish their getaway, ex-con Alex plans a bank robbery which ultimately goes awry. Fair warning, Spielmann has woven a bit of sex into his film, for, after all, much of the plot is developed in a brothel.
The couple in the countryside, policeman Robert and his wife Suzanne have their own troubles with a marriage that suffers from, among other things, an unsuccessful struggle to have children. The small village where Robert and Suzanne live is also home to Alex’s elderly grandfather, and this coincident nexus becomes the center for the second half of the film.
Alex crosses paths with Robert under calamitous circumstances, and from that point both men suffer guilt and grief and their lives are forever altered. It is after this tragic event that the film’s title Revanche becomes Alex’s quest.
This film is not a fast-action thriller. In fact, in no hurry to tell his story, the director slowly and purposely draws out a tense psychological portrait of vengeance and redemption. Spielmann deliberately employs few cuts and long shots, saying “What interests me the most is telling a thriller at an extremely slow pace. I don’t want viewers to just forget time for 90 minutes. I want them to be conscious of it.”
He says that the film’s “move to the country brings quiet, which becomes one of the main characters in the movie.” He also says, “Even the sound is scored. I have no need for music, which can be a cheap manipulation of emotions which the audience should achieve on their own.”
In German, revanche means revenge, and while revenge is a major thread in Revanche, it is not all of what Austrian filmmaker Götz Spielmann has in mind for his neo-noir psychological thriller.
Writer/director Spielmann starts his film with two couples leading very different lives. One couple is working in a bordello in a seedy section of Vienna, and the other couple lives an ordered life in the Austrian countryside. It is the eventual intersection of these lives that forms the backbone of Spielmann’s film and from which he has created a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions.
The Viennese couple, Alex and Tamara, work for a sleazy bordello owner. Alex is the bouncer and assistant at the bordello, and Tamara is a Ukranian sex worker. Alex and Tamara have fallen in love and wish to escape their sordid lives. To accomplish their getaway, ex-con Alex plans a bank robbery which ultimately goes awry. Fair warning, Spielmann has woven a bit of sex into his film, for, after all, much of the plot is developed in a brothel.
The couple in the countryside, policeman Robert and his wife Suzanne have their own troubles with a marriage that suffers from, among other things, an unsuccessful struggle to have children. The small village where Robert and Suzanne live is also home to Alex’s elderly grandfather, and this coincident nexus becomes the center for the second half of the film.
Alex crosses paths with Robert under calamitous circumstances, and from that point both men suffer guilt and grief and their lives are forever altered. It is after this tragic event that the film’s title Revanche becomes Alex’s quest.
This film is not a fast-action thriller. In fact, in no hurry to tell his story, the director slowly and purposely draws out a tense psychological portrait of vengeance and redemption. Spielmann deliberately employs few cuts and long shots, saying “What interests me the most is telling a thriller at an extremely slow pace. I don’t want viewers to just forget time for 90 minutes. I want them to be conscious of it.”
He says that the film’s “move to the country brings quiet, which becomes one of the main characters in the movie.” He also says, “Even the sound is scored. I have no need for music, which can be a cheap manipulation of emotions which the audience should achieve on their own.”
While Spielmann also talks about redemption, it’s only at the end of many clever twists and turns that you see whether and what kind of atonement Spielmann delivers.
Los Angeles Times critic Ken Turan says, “Revanche, a darkly compelling film from Austria, can be viewed as either a thriller with psychological overtones or a psychological drama with thriller elements. Either way, its carefully plotted, convincing scenario will leave you with a lot on your mind.”
This film enjoys a high 90 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and was one of the five 2009 nominations for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Screenings are held Friday and Saturday at 4:30 and 7 p.m., and Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Check film times by calling 508-746-1622, ext. 8877, or check Plimoth Cinema’s film listings and sign up for e-mail notices of upcoming films at www.plimoth.org.
All screenings are shown in the Linn Theater in Plimoth Plantation’s Visitor Center. Food, beer and wine are offered each Saturday. General admission is $9.50, $7.50 for Plantation members and seniors. Plimoth Cinema Club Cards valid for the 2009 season cost $10. This card entitles one person to $1.50 off admission to any film shown at the Cinema.
