August 22, 2020: From the Dark Matter vault! And the Crime Club discusses Berlin Syndrome!

Some pics from the Dark Matter vault.  Fun on set!

Our Crime Club reconvenes to discuss the 2017 thriller Berlin Syndrome.

Hmmmm.  Even though this one is generating a surprising amount of online buzz, it really failed to impress.  It’s a standard thriller in the vein of The Collector (guy kidnaps woman and keeps her locked up as a prisoner) but is buoyed by great direction and strong performances by the two leads, Teresa Palmer and and Max Riemelt.

The script is pretty paint-by-numbers, hitting all the expected beats – failed escape attempts, an almost rescue that ends in murder – before culminating in a chilling climax that works really well provided you can overlook a couple of plot contrivances.  First, the timely dropped photo (an incredibly crucial piece of evidence) that causes Andi to really he’s screwed, setting up the final confrontation.  Second, the decision by the young student to venture over and check things out for herself rather than contact the police.  I mean, she could have done both but the final lingering shot of Andi in his massage chair seems to quash that possibility.

Over all a perfectly fine movie I probably won’t remember a month from now.

Tomorrow, we take the day off to celebrate Suji Sunday!  But our Crime Club returns on Monday to chat about the 2016 border thriller Transpecos.

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