Austrian films – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE DEVIL’S BATH (Tribeca 2024) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Anja Paschg, Austrian films, David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter, Severin Fiala, The Devil’s Bath, Tribeca 2024, veronika franz

Regardless of how familiar you might be with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s filmography, Nothing can quite prepare you for The Devil’s Bath. Make no mistake: the world of The Devil’s Bath is their most nightmarish yet. If there is a better and more authentic exploration of depression on film, I cannot think of it. Displaying the unspoken sense of disgust and anger that sufferers are so often met with, this is an unapologetically brutal film, but at its essence an extraordinarily truthful one.

Festivals Reviews

VENI VIDI VICI (Sydney FF 2024) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

June 6, 2024June 8, 2024 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Austrian films, Daniel Hoesl, Jessica hausner, Julia Niemann, Severin Fiala, Sydney FF 2024, Ulrich Siedl, Veni Vidi Vici, veronika franz

Amon Maynard (Laurence Rupp) is a billionaire with it all, and yet it is not enough. An influential businessman who has government ministers at his beck and call, a beautiful, adoring wife, and three daughters who idolize him, Maynard still craves satisfaction. This is the context within which the opening scene of Veni Vidi Vici introduces the The Most Dangerous Game ‘human hunt’ that sits at the heart of the movie. Maynard has become a kind of casual, part-time serial killer, a notorious sniper who randomly guns down unfortunate members of his community who have committed no offence greater than simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Festivals Reviews

WOODLAND (TIFF 2023) – Review by Rachel West

September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 Rachel West Austrian films, Brigitte Hobmeier, Elisabeth Scharang, Jörg Widmer, TIFF 2023, Woodland

A naked woman tilts her head back and screams into the sky in the opening frames of Elisabeth Scharang’s Woodland. It’s a compelling and bold way to begin a film that will quietly tell a story filled with anger, fear, trauma, forgiveness, and, ultimately, healing. Woodland is inspired by Doris Knecht’s novel Wald and Scharang’s personal experience witnessing a 2020 terrorist attack by a shooter in Vienna which left four people dead and 23 others injured. A soul-searching drama, Woodland is an appropriately moody and healing experience that should resonate with audiences.

Festivals Interviews

Elisabeth Scharang on WOODLAND (TIFF 2023) – Marina Richter interviews

September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 Marina Richter Austrian films, Brigitte Hobmeier, Elisabeth Scharang, Jörg Widmer, TIFF 2023, Woodland

Austrian helmer Elisabeth Scharang’s breath-taking drama Woodland is about one woman’s struggle to cope with a deep scarring trauma. Set up in a secluded village in Waldviertel, the story unfolds slowly, carefully introducing new elements along the way. This multi-facetted film addresses many illnesses of our contemporary life without being preachy or didactic, focusing on its main character(s) to speak about what happens once we’re torn out of our comfort zone. Says Elisabeth Scharang: “When people get murdered or really hurt, even if you are physically present you feel like you don’t have the right to call yourself a victim”