I knew beforehand that a biopic of a German serial killer won't be a classic Fatih Akin movie. And after watching it I assume he was riding the wave of pornography and violence in contemporary arthouse cinema.
What sets this film apart from the others riding the same wave, with Lars von Trier and Gaspar Noe being the first who come to mind, is the fact it is based on actual events.
What the movie does good is the scenography. We get an extremely realistic look and feel of Hamburg in the 1970s. Although the choice of topic leaves us with endless possibilities of Hamburgs cloaca, Fatih Akins love for the city is palpable.
Due to its sheer realism the major part of the movie is rather difficult to watch. Yet, this might be Fatih Akins message to the others, for example the two aforementioned authors, who try to convey idiotic "philosophy of life" with the same graphic depictions.
All in all, I prefer not to attach a number of starts to this movie. It does a terrific job, in both meanings of the word...
What sets this film apart from the others riding the same wave, with Lars von Trier and Gaspar Noe being the first who come to mind, is the fact it is based on actual events.
What the movie does good is the scenography. We get an extremely realistic look and feel of Hamburg in the 1970s. Although the choice of topic leaves us with endless possibilities of Hamburgs cloaca, Fatih Akins love for the city is palpable.
Due to its sheer realism the major part of the movie is rather difficult to watch. Yet, this might be Fatih Akins message to the others, for example the two aforementioned authors, who try to convey idiotic "philosophy of life" with the same graphic depictions.
All in all, I prefer not to attach a number of starts to this movie. It does a terrific job, in both meanings of the word...