The production coming out of Austria is frequently amazing. Of course, we had Romy Schneider and the bland «Sissi» trilogy, but we also have had the amazing cinema of Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl, the documentaries of Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Michael Glawogger and Hubert Sauper (respectively, «Our Daily Bread», «Megacities», and «Darwin's Nightmare»), the work of Peter Kubelka, a great exponent of experimental cinema and the horror film "Michael", that has nothing to do with monsters or apparitions, but with child abductions and pedophilia. Seidl is also a producer of other filmmakers, including Peter Brunner and his wife Veronika Franz.
Brunner's "Lucifer" is the story of Maria, a mother who is not quite right in the head, and her son Johannes, an adult with the mind of a child. The two live isolated in the Alps, given over to their rituals and escapades from reality, but a ruthless company has started a violent campaign to evict them from their property and build a tourist funicular.
One thing is what I tell you. Another is execution. On the one hand, the cinematography and soundtrack are first rate. Maria and Johannes really live in a paradise of splendor, that cinematographer Peter Flinckenberg delights in capturing, while Manuel Grandpierre accurately mixes the sounds of an eagle, the creak of wood, fire, a swarm, and howl, the night silence, voices, and music into an aural symphony. Then, there is Michael Fissneider's wondrous art direction, reflecting the state of mind of the protagonists, an accumulation of debris, tangled mazes, and mutilated Catholic icons, in a house that was once large and beautiful. On the other hand, drones have never been objects of terror like in this film, in which they harass Johaness, for whom this device is the Devil.
But none of these traits compares to the performances of the central cast. In the opening credits, a card announces that the film is based on a true story. But it is impossible for anyone to make such a precise description of the things that happen in private between mother and son, because Maria is in no condition to keep a diary, much less her son, who can hardly speak. Although it is possible that some of the action described could have happened to a mother and her son (supposedly an exorcism, or violent acts of eviction, as the film reminded me of similar movies such as "Daughter of the Lagoon", "Altiplano" and "Bacurau"), what is really a true story is the contribution that Susanne Jensen made to the character of the mother. Today Susanne is an Evangelical pastor, artist, and author, but in her childhood, her father raped her for ten years, leaving her sterile; and all the evocations that Maria makes of her alcoholism, of her torture and rituals, are real memories that nourish her performance. And Franz Rogowski as Johannes shines on his own merit. Both received the awards for best actress and actor at the Sitges festival, while Brunner won the best director award at the Locarno festival.
Like some other films I have recently reviewed, «Luzifer» runs for 103 minutes and it's not that it could, but that it should! Have lasted less. It is a film of excellent execution and acting that takes special care in the description of each ritual, because mother and son adhere to non-violence and perform religious rites to God, the Devil, and the dead father, so that they can be saved from the harassment of the drones, but nothing, nothing releases them as the aggression grows in tension and intention. So, while you want it to end, you cannot keep your face away from the frame.
If you have the will to go through it, I totally recommend them. It may be long, but I cannot give it less than a 10.
Brunner's "Lucifer" is the story of Maria, a mother who is not quite right in the head, and her son Johannes, an adult with the mind of a child. The two live isolated in the Alps, given over to their rituals and escapades from reality, but a ruthless company has started a violent campaign to evict them from their property and build a tourist funicular.
One thing is what I tell you. Another is execution. On the one hand, the cinematography and soundtrack are first rate. Maria and Johannes really live in a paradise of splendor, that cinematographer Peter Flinckenberg delights in capturing, while Manuel Grandpierre accurately mixes the sounds of an eagle, the creak of wood, fire, a swarm, and howl, the night silence, voices, and music into an aural symphony. Then, there is Michael Fissneider's wondrous art direction, reflecting the state of mind of the protagonists, an accumulation of debris, tangled mazes, and mutilated Catholic icons, in a house that was once large and beautiful. On the other hand, drones have never been objects of terror like in this film, in which they harass Johaness, for whom this device is the Devil.
But none of these traits compares to the performances of the central cast. In the opening credits, a card announces that the film is based on a true story. But it is impossible for anyone to make such a precise description of the things that happen in private between mother and son, because Maria is in no condition to keep a diary, much less her son, who can hardly speak. Although it is possible that some of the action described could have happened to a mother and her son (supposedly an exorcism, or violent acts of eviction, as the film reminded me of similar movies such as "Daughter of the Lagoon", "Altiplano" and "Bacurau"), what is really a true story is the contribution that Susanne Jensen made to the character of the mother. Today Susanne is an Evangelical pastor, artist, and author, but in her childhood, her father raped her for ten years, leaving her sterile; and all the evocations that Maria makes of her alcoholism, of her torture and rituals, are real memories that nourish her performance. And Franz Rogowski as Johannes shines on his own merit. Both received the awards for best actress and actor at the Sitges festival, while Brunner won the best director award at the Locarno festival.
Like some other films I have recently reviewed, «Luzifer» runs for 103 minutes and it's not that it could, but that it should! Have lasted less. It is a film of excellent execution and acting that takes special care in the description of each ritual, because mother and son adhere to non-violence and perform religious rites to God, the Devil, and the dead father, so that they can be saved from the harassment of the drones, but nothing, nothing releases them as the aggression grows in tension and intention. So, while you want it to end, you cannot keep your face away from the frame.
If you have the will to go through it, I totally recommend them. It may be long, but I cannot give it less than a 10.