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| Revanchism: n. 1. (a literal translation would read like “revenge-ism”) |
For those of you whose thoughts don’t spin au français, it’s time for a little vocab lesson, oui? According to my sources through good ol' Wikipedia, the concept of “revanchism” is a 19th Century term referencing something similar to irredentism. No? Umm…..okay, let’s put it this way: territorial reparations sustained and paid by countries following a war. Often used as an excuse to start other wars as a point of honor. Simply put: My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. Comprende? Armed with such knowledge (and all metaphorical BS aside), it probably can’t be too hard to guess what the Austrian-born filmmaker Götz Spielmann’s symmetric thought-piece of a tragedy is all about.
It starts off as any typical crime thriller does, showcasing the miseries of seemingly disconnected, unhappy people with unhappier lives. Robert, for instance, is a mild-mannered gendarme trying to man up for his wife Susanne, who desperately wants a child but can’t on the grounds of her husband’s performance issues. Alex, on the other hand, is a bouncer at a Viennese brothel. And Tamara, Alex’s lover, a Ukranian prostitute who barely speaks Deustch, suffers her humiliations with patience, cigarettes and cold pizza. From this, Alex, a guy who “wants to be a tough guy but isn’t”, lashes out against the cosmic forces that be with a gun in hand. Literally. With his newfound strength, it is hoped that by knocking off a small city bank, he and Tamara will be able to pick up their lives and start anew.
I know, it all sounds very hard-boiled, but Spielmann takes a decidedly minimalist touch with the whole affair in a way that can be both captivating and annoying. It has all the trappings of an edgy drama yet it has none of the verve that such a genre is known for. Again, that’s good but only occasionally so. The movie starts off resisting the temptation to become cold and sterile, but it succumbs to the infuriating existentialism which removes us from the emotions in a very ostentatious way. Now, most critics and buffs will blanch at the thought of me referring to this work of art as ‘a movie’ but they can go do something that involves shoving one part of their body up another part of their body. In all, it comes down to a matter of simple tastes.
The first half is terrifically enthralling and exuberant. Conflict mounts one step at a time but at least it's discernible and there is a sense of dread. The second half, though tense and convoluted with interconnected storylines, wanders into maddeningly psychological riffs evoked through lots of pouting and quiet cinematography. Toss in some rough sex and Shakespearan pathos and you’re golden. Sadly, for European directors especially, that’s nothing all too new or profound.
It wouldn’t be so much of an issue if the movie had stayed consistent in mood throughout, but the way in which the genre is used to lure us into a realm in which not all of us are willing to trek, it comes off as a kind of deconstructionist gimmick rather than a legitimately appropriate twist of affairs.
But just to confirm, let’s just understand that we’re not playing Bash-the-Kraut-Director. The film is a grand poem with a telling examination of vengeful temperaments that unfolds wonderfully and concludes in a fantastic and disturbing bookend. Even in sequences in which there seems to be nothing more than a brooding Alex as he goes about his wood-chopping at his father’s countryside farm, the whine of the buzzsaw, his fingers dancing in and out of the razor’s path, has its own kind of suspenseful quality that’ll make you very, VERY uncomfortable if you have a loud TV. There’s also a freshness to the deep forestscapes that gives you the impression that even when you’re all alone, you really aren’t.
But in my opinion, the experience is best if you’re the kind of individual who can tough out a cold night in a field waiting for a meteor shower at the four in the morning. If you’re willing to go to those disciplined lengths to witness something unique and mystical, then this movie may be for you. The dramatic weight of the questions posed might be enough to entice others. But if you’re looking for something more criminal than contemplative, drop it. You’ll only find yourself disappointed and wanting more of something that “Revanche” doesn’t really have.
For an alternate (and far more in-depth) second opinion, see this article from “The Current” on Criterion’s site!
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Directed & Written by: Götz Spielmann
Johannes Krisch………………………Alex
Irina Potapenko……………………...Tamara
Andreas Lust…………………………..Robert
Ursula Strauss………………………...Susanne
Hannes Thanheiser…………………Grandfather Hausner
Hanno Pöschl………………………….Konecny - Tamara's Boss
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