Tarkovsky, Kieslowski, Bresson, the Dardennes. Of course a movie is more (or less) than the sum total of its influences, but critic name-checks of so many Filmwell faves catch the eye almost as much as that screenshot…
Pacific Cinematheque, Vancouver: “Revanche, a ravishing, masterfully restrained, unusually intelligent neo-noir revenge tale from talented Austrian director Götz Spielmann, was nominated for the foreign-language Oscar this year — ‘and it’s a better movie than most of the films in the main race’ (Wesley Morris, Boston Globe). ‘A suspense-filled thriller, full of jarring angularities, perfectly composed scenes and dollops of steamy sex… Alex is a disgruntled, tightly wound ex-con working in a Viennese brothel. His only respite is his love for Ukrainian prostitute Tamara who reluctantly plies her trade in the same brothel. Out in the sun-dappled countryside, Susanne and inexperienced cop Robert have just moved into their new home. Two couples in seemingly diametrical opposition are brought into one another’s spheres after a deadly botched robbery sets Spielmann’s taut tale in motion’ (VIFF). The film has been widely praised — and drawn comparisons to the lofty likes of Hitchcock, Haneke, Tarkovsky, Kieslowski, and Bresson — for its emotional and moral depth, life-affirming humanism, beautiful formal qualities, eloquent economy of means, and firm sense of place and purpose.
At Twitch, Filmwell scribe Jason Morehead calls the film “the unexpected discovery and delight of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival,” and points out the double-entendre of the title: “‘Revanche’ means not only ‘revenge’ but something like ‘a second chance.'” Watch the trailer at the auteurs (full screen!) and catch Darren Hughes’ quote that “Revanche is the kind of taut, thinking-adult’s drama that America stopped producing 30 years ago.” Here’s what else Darren had to say at longpauses.com: “
I’ve developed a lazy habit of saying that I don’t particularly care what a film is about; I care what it does formally. But, while well-directed and wonderfully performed, the standout feature of Gotz Spielmann’s Revanche is the story, which, particularly over the last 80 minutes, is perfectly constructed. Borrowing from scattershot genre conventions (lovers on the run, an escape to the country, the Madonna whore), Revanche is the kind of taut, thinking-adult’s drama that America stopped producing 30 years ago. Although his film maybe lacks so neat a moral dilemma as that posed by The Son, Spielmann matches the Dardennes at the level of execution. Or, more to the point, I was tense and curious for the entire length of the film, and I was completely satisfied by its resolution. (Also, what the Dardennes did for the lumberyard, Spielmann has done for the wood pile.) Highly recommended.”
And here’s more from theauteurs.com…
Revanche shows just how successfully one can transpose the plot and character based drama of Hollywood to the refined style of European art-house cinema without hampering it with a sense self-importance. The film’s story of an unhappy Ukrainian prostitute and her boyfriend who works at her brothel essentially has all the ingredients of a sordid American narrative: exploitative setting, crime, a botched armed robbery, and an accidental murder. It is this last element that sparks the title and the film’s focus on contemplating vengeance. But Götz Spielmann’s film is far from the exploitative thrill ride this description would suggest. His approach is respectful and measured, as if wanting to give what would normally be considered a B-plot its due. There is no pretension in his scenes, each usually made up of longer takes and only one or two shots, all from a cool, respectful distance. . . .
Revanche takes the kind of story usually compressed into a taut, 90-minute film and carefully elongates it, drawing out relationships always given the short shrift in more compacted versions.
P.S. Forty minutes after this went up, M. Leary posted his review. Synchronicity.