UNTER NACHBARN (THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR)
Germany, 2011, 96 minutes, Colour.
Maxim Mehmet, Charly Hubner, Petra Schmidt- Schaller.
Directed by Stephan Rick.
Unter Nachbarn is a well-made psychological thriller. It is set in the industrial city of Karlsruhe. David is a journalist who has relocated from Berlin to a local paper. He is ambitious, successful. When he moves into a house, given to him by a friend of his father (in gambling debt to his father), he calls on his next-door neighbour to help him with fixing the furniture and setting it up. David is played by Maxim Mehmet, Robert the neighbour by Charly Hubner. Robert is a rather large man, obviously living alone, eccentric, a male nurse, keeping to himself but watching the neighbours. He gladly responds to the invitation by David – and there are suggestions of an attraction, which lead to a fatal attraction.
David chats up a young woman at a bar, is fiddling with his CD player in the car on the way home and knocks her over. Robert and David stop, David wants everything to change, Robert urges him to leave the scene.
The film shows the consequences of the first cowardice and the first lie. David is disturbed and puzzled about what has happened and what he should do. Robert starts to take control, destroys David’s car secretly, getting rid of the evidence. He starts to control David, or attempts to. David meets the victim’s sister, is attracted to her, tries to help her, unable to tell her the truth. This leads to Robert’s jealousy and his discovering that David has been lying to him about this young woman.
The film builds up the tension between David and Robert, Robert finally turning jealously violent and confronting Vanessa. In the meantime, the police chief and his assistant have been investigating the accident and building up clues, interrogating David and Robert.
While the material might be in some ways familiar, someone leaving the scene of an accident, the victim of a fatal attraction, emotional tangles, police investigation, it all comes together quite effectively as a psychological drama with the touch of the thriller.
1. Psychological drama? Thriller? Police investigation?
2. The city of Karlsruhe, the homes, the suburbs, the industrial background, the bars, the police? Realistic? The musical score?
3. The titles – The Good Neighbour, a bland title? Between Neighbours much more accurate?
4. David, his age, background, leaving Berlin, his going to work at the paper, his being welcomed, the jobs, covering the speech and seeing the boy playing basketball, an effective story? Congratulations?
5. The house, his tour, the agent, the revelation about David’s father and the agent’s indebtedness? Settling in, borrowing tools from Robert, Robert offering to help, their working together, the beginning of the bond?
6. David inviting Robert to the bar, the Friday night, dancing, Robert’s enthusiasm? David and his chatting up Janine? Exchanging phone numbers? His number on her mobile? Leaving the bar, the discussions about the CD player and the music, David not paying attention, hitting Janine on the bike, stopping, his praying that all could change, Robert taking charge, their leaving the scene of the accident? The irony of their lies about the tram – and Vanessa discovering later that the tram was in abeyance because of repairs?
7. David as a coward, his lies, the consequences? His trying to handle the situation? Handling Robert? Robert as an accomplice, trying to protect David and himself, his infatuation? Putting David’s car in the river?
8. David at his job, the press conference, Vanessa’s presence, the police watching, his change of attitude? Talking to Robert? The fishing? The meal? At work, Vanessa and her visit, his lies to Robert, Robert bringing the basket of food to work, discovering the truth, violently scratching David’s new car?
9. Robert and his character, the fatal attraction, watching David from his windows, the growing jealousy, his warnings?
10. Vanessa, her sadness, beginning to depend on David, the meal together, the meeting, the sexual relationship? The invitation to go kayaking, Robert and his presence? His attempt to drown Vanessa? David saving her?
11. The police, the chief, his assistant, at the funeral, the investigations, the discovery of the phone number?
12. Vanessa discovering the truth, the confrontation with David?
13. The phone call, the tip-off by Robert, the police finding the car, David and Robert at the river, the hut, Vanessa and the shooting, the police arrival, their arresting David? Robert and his sadness, sitting by the river, discovering that Vanessa would survive? His drowning himself?
14. A portrait of characters, weak, cowardly? Lies, the consequences?
