REVANCHE

Austria, 2008, 121 minutes, Colour.
Johannes Krisch, Irina Protapenko, Andreas Lust, Ursula Strauss, Johannes Thanheiser.
Directed by Goetz Spielmann.

Revanche: revenge,vengeance, retaliation.

This is a well-made Austrian film, a serious drama with touches of police and crime thriller. But, mainly, it is about the inner lives of five people who are interconnected by a tragedy.

There is symbolism in the credits sequence, a still camera focussing on a pool when, unexpectedly, a stone is tossed into the water and the splash sends out ripples. At the end credits there is silence except for birds chirping, sounds of a storm and then rain falling. Apart from a few slight tracking shots, all the sequences are comprised of fixed camera shots, movement within the frame but action sometimes outside the screen frame. A more contemplative style of film-making.

The early part of the film spends a great deal of time and attention on two of those people. Tamara is from the Ukraine, one of the many women from Eastern Europe who are caught up in prostitution. She works in a brothel in Vienna. Fairly impassive about what she has to do for customers, she is concerned about money and future security. But, she is in love with Alex, a middle-aged man from the country who is a general rouseabout in the brothel.

At the same time, we see the tranquil life of a married couple, he, Robert, mowing the lawn, she, Suzanne, cooking the evening meal. He is a local policeman who, by chance, is caught up in a bank robbery getaway and fires a shot after the car. There is a great deal of reflection on bad luck and chance.

The other character is Alex's grandfather, an 80 year old farmer, who lives near the policeman and his wife, the wife being kind to him at the supermarket she runs and giving him lifts to church as well as encouraging him to take up playing the piano accordion again. Alex stays with him, chopping his wood supply.

The bank robbery is not shown, just the getaway and the shot. But, this episode has repercussions for all the characters, especially for retaliation for the shot fired.

The film is very emotional, especially in portraying grief and depression. One can understand the feelings of the characters, the most puzzling of whom is the policeman's wife. Her feelings and motivations are quite complex and we might still wonder at the end what they really are.

Strong performances, dramatic without being melodramatic, ensure audience involvement in the lives of each character, the audience all the time being challenged as to where their sympathies lie and whether there should be revanche or not.

1. The impact of the film, the title, revenge, retaliation? The tone?

2. Austrian perspectives, character and society, issues?

3. Vienna, the brothel, the hotel, the rooms, the bar, detail? The time spent in the first part of the film creating this atmosphere?

4. The contrast with the village, the homes, farms, shops, the police station, the woods and the pool?

5. The musical score, the sounds and the absence of sound? The stone in the pool at the beginning and the shock for the audience? The end, the birds, the storm, the rain, the silence?

6. The photography, the fixed-frame scenes, the drama, confined? The possibility for the audience to contemplate the characters and the interactions? Themes?

7. The opening, the pool, the stone, the noise, the ripples? The contrast to the home, Robert mowing the lawn, Suzanne cooking and looking out the window? Preparing the audience for contemplating the characters?

8. The contrast with Tamara, her room, prostitute, from the Ukraine, her language, need of money, her jobs, clients and her attitudes towards them, their crass behaviour? Her coldness? Alex’s arrival, the bond between them, the relationship, sexual encounter, the shower, dressing, the detail, their plans? Establishing their characters strongly?

9. Tamara, the interactions with the boss, the plan for the visit, coming to her room, the provocation, his not touching her, Alex and his hiding under the bed, hearing the proposal for Tamara to move into a hotel, different clients, money? In the bar, the clients in the bar, the other women? The dressing room? Tamara and her smoking? Her hopes?

10. Alex, his jobs in the brothel, the background of his family, the love for Tamara, the need for money, the opportunity for opening a club, the decision about the robbery, the car, Tamara in the car? Robert, asking Tamara for her documents? Alex and the gun, forcing Robert to lie down in the street, driving away, Robert shooting, aiming at the tyres, killing Tamara? Alex gradually aware that she was dead?

11. The news of the robbery, the mystery, the death, the effect on Robert, discovering that he had killed someone? Going to the authorities? The support of his fellow policemen? The photo of Tamara, his wanting to deny it, depression, at home, unable to talk to Suzanne? With the men at the office, the photos? His going on his runs, to the pool, worrying? His not going to church? His walking away from the group meeting, the authorities and their treatment of him? The encounters with Alex, his saying that he was willing to die? His key question to ask why Tamara was in the car at the time of the robbery? His future, the issues of Suzanne’s pregnancy, the difficulties with Robert, Suzanne announcing that she was pregnant?

12. Alex, pulling off the road, his grief at Tamara’s death, going to his grandfather’s house, the audience knowing the grandfather, the old man, his driving, Robert and Suzanne and their comments, Suzanne helping? The old man and the death of his wife, looking after the cows, the wood needing chopping, his illness, eighty? Alex arriving, chopping and sawing all the wood? Staying? Their talks? Suzanne, giving the old man a lift, to church, their help in the supermarket, encouraging him to play the accordion? Alex ordering her away?

13. Suzanne’s response, inviting Alex to the house, the visit, the sexual encounter, her fright, his returning, seeing the photo, the story, Suzanne knowing who the woman was, keeping the secret? Asking Alex to keep the secret?

14. The grandfather, the illness, playing, Alex caring for him, sitting and dying?

15. The film portraying the inner lives of the central characters? The title and its relationship to each of them?

16. The pregnancy issue, for Robert and Suzanne, for Alex, for the future?

17. The end: the birds, the silent background to the bird, the storm sounds, the rain…?