The Wall (Die Wand)

The Wall (Die Wand) is a German film about a woman (played by Martina Gedeck) who goes to a hunting lodge with friends and winds up alone, trapped in the mountains by an invisible wall. Sure, you’re thinking, just like Under the Dome. Well, it isn’t. The Wall is a visually stunning movie about the unnamed woman who slowly accepts her situation and eventually harmonizes and integrates with nature.

Every scene in this film is well thought out and incredibly well shot. Based on the novel by Marlen Haushofer, The Wall was written for the screen and directed by Julain Polsler.

The woman spreads out from the hunting lodge, looking for a means to escape and tried to locate other people. She sees a few, in particular an elderly couple that live in a simple cabin, but they appear to be frozen in time.  They and others cannot see her.

Her steady companion is a dog named Lynx. If you like dogs (like I do), this movie also explores the deep, unique and complex relationship between canines and humans.

This is not a plot-driven movie and non-formula to a huge extent. The Wall revolves around overcoming loneliness, self-acceptance, self-reliance and the grit and determination it takes to survive living off the land. Don’t expect a big climax in the third act (if you can tell when it begins- I can’t).  I watched The Wall on Netflix.

You can check out more here: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-wall-2013

and here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745686/

The Wall is a movie I look forward to watching again.

Grade: A

 

Another Earth Movie Review

Synopsis

A brilliant young woman, Rhoda Williams, bound for MIT driving drunk after a party hits and kills a composer’s wife and young son while looking through the moon roof of her SUV at a newly discovered duplicate Earth. Instead of attending MIT she goes to prison for four years, then becomes a janitor upon release.

Meanwhile there’s a contest, the prize being a seat on a space shuttle bound for the new Earth. Rhoda begins cleaning the husband and father of the woman and child she killed and slowly builds a relationship with him (without telling him what she’s responsible for). Rhoda wins the contest after writing a 500 word essay and has a seat reserved on the shuttle.

That’s all I want to say otherwise the story would be given away. It’s worth watching.

Director

Mike Cahill

Screenplay

Mike Cahill and Brit Marling

Standout Actors

Brit Marling

Best Bit Part

The blind (and later deaf) janitor.

This is an intelligent film and I was really impressed with the writing, acting and cinematography- artsy shots on a low budget without pretense or self-indulgence. I hope to see more from Mike and Brit, individually and collectively.

Grade

A