Just a kiss
Amidst a sea of US films, an enthralling Austrian title stands out among today’s new releases: Free to Leave by Peter Payer (Ravioli, Villa Henriette), winner of the Young Jury Prize at the latest Locarno Film Festival.
This Lotus Film production (co-produced by Luxembourg company Iris Productions) is an adaptation by the director of a play by Ödön von Horvath.
The film describes the dramatic consequences of an innocent kiss between Thomas (Frank Giering), who is married to Hanni (Corinna Harfouch), and the young Anna (Lavinia Wilson), who is in a relationship with Ferdinand (Robert Stadlober).
Thomas is a railway controller and this momentary distraction leads to the deaths of several passengers and his best friend (Alfred Dorfer). Anna and Thomas are henceforth bound by their guilty secret, for even though they are absolved of any crime they remain plagued by remorse.
Free to Leave is distributed by Poool Filmverleih.
Filmladen are launching the Austrian/Dutch documentary The End of the Neubacher Project, in which Marcus J. Carney explores the Nationalist-Socialist past of his mother’s family, combining the intimate portrait of a typical Austrian family with archived footage that reflects the collective guilt of a nation.
The other European release of the week is UK co-production Control [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Anton Corbijn, distributed by Polyfilm.
(Translated from French)
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