...tis a funny thing how some folks feel about fate and karma. Once things are set in motion, whether on purpose or by chance, the end result...whatever it is...is inescapable and irreparable...or so they say. And the intangible & oh-so transparent driver of that karma is...well, let's just say that it's
hardly prejudice towards whether the actions or intentions that put the karma into play, are good or bad...just or unjust...intentional or unintentional. Let's face it: what will invariably happen,
will invariably happen; think of it not unlike that of the dark side of Newton's 3rd Law. They say that you can't run from it...you can't hide from it...you can't ignore it...you can't just to a 180-degree turnabout, playin' all goodie-goodie, and not expect the bad, or at the very least the wholly unexpected, to catch up with you, if it was meant to be.....
...uh, point in case.....
...unemployed, and occasionally attending to an invalid, albeit endearing mother, Mario is in the inexplicable throes of what starts out as...well, negligible frustration and torment, for lack of a better description. As if the hauntingly reoccurring nightmares aren't enough, he finds himself constantly...progressively forgetting things, about his apartment. Or rather, the most improbable of items seem to be disappearing, without a trace...cigarette lighters...a drawer of clean underwear...whatever. Again...things improbable, and a bit frustrating for the loss, but invariably shoulder-shrugging negligible. Heck, he even jokes about it with his live-in girlfriend, Nadine (Judith Ponwitz)...an attractive and loving young woman, whom Mario often hardly feels worthy of.....
...however, when one morning Mario wakes up and finds that his television set has inexplicably disappeared overnight, right across the room from his bed as he and Nadine slept, things become less jovial...more serious...and his initial reluctance in getting the local police involved, is convinced otherwise, by Nadine. And so, the police
do arrive...but amidst their straight-to-the-point investigation and queries, there...well, there seems to be some underlining, albeit obvious doubts and suspicions to Mario's claims, driven by less-than-favorable events and encounters with him and the police, having occurred sometime in the past.....
...further frustrated in the days that follow...especially after some bed linen (?), and even his very bed itself mysteriously disappears, overnight...Mario insists that Nadine remain in her own apartment, while he resigns himself to the investigative prowess of a local detective (Roland Michael Silk), who stages a quickly set-up overnight surveillance in Mario's apartment. However, upon waking the following morning, a bewildered Mario is nowhere near as taken aback in finding that the detective having also disappeared, as he is when he horrifically reviews the surveillance footage, taken by the detective's lone and still-positioned video camera.....
...even
more driven
not to contact the local police, as his recent ghastly discovery would most assuredly fuel further suspicions, guilty or not...Mario instead calls upon the expertise of a renowned and suggested parapsychologist (Sebastian Badenberg), who...intrigued, but cautious...begins to delve deeper into the sinister and seemingly supernatural occurrences, happening all around Mario. And as further and more horrific things continue to take place, Mario begins to suspect that undisclosed events in his dark past, might well be involved...a past which he's tried so desperately to, not so much forget, but ignore...not to mention, certain fearful eventuality, as that past's accusingly grim and unrelenting turn of events, return to haunt him. And our hapless paranormal investigator, who invariably pulls away that veil of Mario's mysterious past, and pieces together the grim truth, in the midst of his investigation, begins to wonder with great apprehension, if it is truly best for him
not to get caught up in the inescapable whirlwind of what appears to be the diabolically driven result of this young man's denial, torment...as well as the invariable fate which poses to follow.....
...but then, to coin an aptly classic cliche, 'what goes around, comes around'...and in the case of "Thief - Someday You Will Pay", this tried & true revelation could not possibly be more relevant. And the fresh, albeit unconventional approach herein, in engaging that very revelation, is what stands out over and above, with regards to this neat and tidy, albeit subtly chilling and unnerving little indie film. Not so much in the revelation itself, but more so in the fact that despite the understandably minimization of the film...the just-over-an-hour running time, the simple settings, the variably
clichéd performances and dialogue, etc...the macabre and ironic proceedings contained herein, are nonetheless nicely laid out compellingly, with the overall minimization of these proceedings, made quite negligible.....
...director Moritz Hellfritzsch, in this...his feature film debut...does so very much with so very little, proving quite clever in his film making resourcefulness, economy, direction and writing, here...feeding the viewer strategically compelling tidbits of mystery to digest...starting with something as simple as a person's 'humph' curious, almost jovial forgetfulness...something, without a doubt, any of us can identify with. Really...who
hasn't misplaced something, even to the point of swearing up and down, the condition and/or location of that 'something'?? And then eventually, we pretty much shrug the situation off, not wanting to waist further energy on it...even laughing it off. You know...the old adage of 'you
can't find it when you're looking for it...but you find it when you're
not looking for it'. However, in the case of this film's plight...building upon the mystery, little by little...once our protagonist, Mario, begins to lose things of first improbability (...like the bed clothes...Really??), than of greater value...even to the point of people disappearing around him...the strange proceedings clearly become something more than mere head-scratching annoyance and frustration. Beyond that...well, there's of course fear, and then outright terror.....
...and Mr. Hellfritzsch...well, you
really have our attention, by then.....
...the supporting cast, for the most part performance-wise, is fairly adequate, though a bit pedestrian and
clichéd, which is quite understandable and wholly forgivable for a film of this ilk...and some of the minor characters seem...well, head-scratchingly unconventional. For instance, suggesting that the ill-fated surveillance detective, played by Roland Michael Silk, is a homosexual is interesting, as far as unconventional characters go...but it seems to serve only to make Mario uncomfortable, in their interaction. And it's seems almost a stereotype by this time, in having such suspicion-laden police officers, in what may or may not be a 'boy who cried wolf' situation.....
...the bright spot of the film...make no mistake...is the very believable and relatable performance by Yannick Hehlgans, as the hapless and frustrated Mario. Though, it is quite certain that none of us viewers have never experienced the level of terror which the Mario character endues, and eventually succumbs to (...at least, I
hope not...), nonetheless Yannick's enactment of Mario...his reactions to the macabre events taking place...seems genuine and real. Most, if not any viewers could easily identify with what the hapless character is going through, at least initially. By comparison...as the Mario character is clearly the focus here...the relatively untried supporting cast succeeds in merely reactionary performances, to Yannick convincing performance, which clearly seemed to be the intent here.....
...interestingly enough, even though a bit more than a supporting character, one of the more interesting performances herein, is that of actor Sebastian Badenberg, in the enigmatic, poker stone-faced role of the parapsychologist, Dr. Justus Preuss. Cold, dark, mysterious, dissuasively inquisitive...and, in the midst of the bizarre goings-on, as his thorough and detailed investigation proceeds, and invariably culminates...quite perceptively instinctive. It is always the dark and eccentric parapsychologist characters that intrigues most viewers, in films like this type...the varied Tanginas, the Benjamin Fishers, the Elise Reiners...and well, with the adept and ideal minimization of the Dr. Preuss character...well, this viewer cannot help but find the odd character irresistible, as far as knowing more about him...eh, perhaps later, right?? (...Wikipedia suggests that the character
does indeed return, in an un-filmed spin-off story written by Hellfritzsch, and called 'Return of the Witches').....
...Often enough, it has been suggested by a small minority, that this reviewer tends to be overly wordy and verbose, in his varied pieces of written prowess; indeed, considering the 63-minute running time of "Thief - Someday You Will Pay", one might wonder if such an extensive, deserved and focused examination of the film, warrants merit. I say...oh, hell yes!!! And if this long-winded reviewer
could take away any measure of parallel from this film...save for the overall appreciation and outright coolness of the film itself...it would be
smart, short, simple, to the point, and let the story and the characters carry the film. Like the old '70's TV commercial once suggested, 'a little dab'll do ya', and that's just what the filmmakers have done here. Again...so much, with so little...and flawed?? Eh, yeah...I suppose so; but like any superior work, the merits outweigh the flaws. A small, tarnished gem of a debut, Mr. Hellfritzsch; I look forward to what you have for us next.....
Get books, comics, graphic novels and more at
bunny17media.com. Use the code CHC at checkout for 15% off your purchase!
Follow Cinema Head Cheese:
Website:
cinemaheadcheese.com
Facebook:
/cinemaheadcheese
Twitter:
@CinHeadCheese
Email: cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com
Instagram: abnormalpodcast
Pinterest: /abnormalpodcast/cinema-head-cheese/
RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/CinemaHeadCheese
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cinema-head-cheese-movie-reviews-news-a-podcast-and-more/id393261942?mt=2
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=18843&refid=stpr
Cinema Head Cheese is sponsored by
MoviePass. See unlimited movies at a theater near you for a low monthly rate.
You can support
Cinema Head Cheese and
Abnormal Entertainment on our
Support Us page.
No comments:
Post a Comment