Revanche (2008)

I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about these Central European films that make them so entrancing..maybe it's the film-makers' approach of handling subjects that are so close to real life; so tangible that you feel a part of it all! Austrian writer-director Gotz Spielmann's 2008 film "Revanche" (Meaning: Revenge) is one of the finest examples of such film-making where the director makes it all look so simple..yet when the film is over you realize what talent it must have taken to build this exquisitely crafted product that displays such awe-inspiring profundity. The opening shot of the film is a work of art by itself. We are shown the view of water in a pond. The water is dead still with the reflection of the trees surrounding the pond, clearly visible. The natural atmospheric sounds and the chirping of the birds is all that is audible. The camera indulges in a steady capture of this shot for some time until the viewer gets completely immersed in that state of tranquil.... ....and then suddenly out of nowhere, something is thrown in the water that completely disturbs the peace. Ripples are created in the water and the reflection disappears; there is turbulence..and the water is no more still! This opening scene more or less symbolizes the central theme of this picture. We are introduced to two couples; a Ukrainian prostitute, Tamara (Irina Potapenko) working in a brothel in Vienna and her boyfriend Alex (Johannes Krisch) who works for the brothel owner. Alex has a plan to make some quick bucks that will enable him and Tamara to make a getaway from the brothel and start a new life. The second couple is a husband-wife duo staying by the country-side not too far from Vienna. The hubby, Robert (Andreas Lust) is a cop and his wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss) works in a local store. Together they make ends meet; have a comfortable life that way, but both of them long for a child and they haven't had the good fortune of having one thus far. Then we are also introduced to Alex's aged grandfather, old man Hausner (Johannes Thanheiser) who resides alone on a farm very close to the residence of Robert and Susanne. Once in a while he likes to play his accordion. Life is as usual for all of the above characters until one day when Alex decides to put his plan into action; post which everything heads towards an irreversible change... Further plot synopsis would only dampen the mesmerizing effect of the narrative and therefore I will leave it at that. At the outset and the few sprinkles of synopsis above would make the reader feel that this is yet another pedestrian film with some 'seemingly perfect' plan going wrong, paving the way for some usual material for a Hollywood thriller. But rest assured, so is not the case, and you are in for a pleasant surprise, as Spielmann's story unfolds in a most unpredictable fashion! Spielmann gives the film a naturalistic feel by completely steering clear of background score and relying only on natural sounds. The sound designers do an excellent job in that department and Spielmann ensures that we don't feel the lack of music at all. In fact it comes across as a welcome feature of the screenplay and it wouldn't be wrong to think that any background score would've in fact compromised the quality of it! This has been done before in Michael Haneke's 2005 film "Cache'" but is much more effectively pulled off in "Revanche". The rustling of the leaves, the singing of the birds, the faint howling of a light breeze...all wonderfully incorporated! Hell..the sound of wood-chopping never sounded as lovely before! Full points also go to the cinematographer Martin Gschlacht. What beautiful captures of the countryside...the pond, the farm, the woods....those lovely scenes, sometimes captured at a distance almost made me want to go into the screen and enjoy that moment. And then there is the editing by Karina Ressler. Some may argue that some scenes are too indulgent and unnecessary while on other occasions, the editing seems extremely crisp. But then there is a good reason why such an approach has been chosen. So yes, there are some long, recurring scenes of Alex chopping wood on his grandpa's farm...but I believe that is one of the qualities of this picture..a finer nuance that needs to be appreciated based on the context of the scene. Although some gratuitous nudity could have easily been done away with, it is hardly any reason to nitpick. The acting is top-notch as well, particularly by Johannes Krisch, a part Tommy Lee Jones-part Brad Pitt lookalike who is fabulous as Alex. All sympathies go out for this character who is shattered by the way things turn out for him, far from conforming to the way he had planned. Andreas Lust as the cop haunted by guilt and Ursula Strauss as his supporting wife are close seconds in the acting department. Irina Potapenko and Johannes Thanheiser support well. The film ultimately belongs to its writer-director Gotz Spielmann, the proud creator of this venture. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in a Foreign Language, and it is certainly no surprise. Watch "Revanche", folks. It is drama at its very best. Beautiful stuff!