An anti-thriller almost, in this assured film of two distinct halves about a vengeful criminal, an exploited prostitute, and a guilt-ridden policeman who all become implicated in life’s luck of the draw.
Review #2,672
Dir. Gotz Spielmann
2008 | Austria | Drama, Crime | 122 min | 1.85:1 | German & Russian
Not rated – likely to be at least M18 for sexual scenes, nudity, some violence and coarse language
Cast: Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Michael-Joachim Heiss
Plot: In a ragged section of Vienna, hardened ex-con Alex works in a brothel, where he falls for Ukrainian sex worker Tamara. Their desperate plans for escape unexpectedly intersect with the lives of a rural cop and his seemingly content wife, leading to acts of vengeance and redemption.
Awards: Won C.I.C.A.E. Award – Panorama, Label Europa Cinemas & Femima Film Prize for Production Design (Berlinale); Nom. for Best Foreign Language Feature (Oscars)
International Sales: The Match Factory
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Revenge & Redemption; Fate & Destiny; Guilt
Narrative Style: Slightly Complex
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Slightly Arthouse
Viewed: Criterion Blu-ray
Spoilers: No
A bit of trivia: Austria had two consecutive years of Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Feature in Revanche (2008), and the year before, The Counterfeiters (2007), which won the coveted award.
Best described as an anti-thriller, Revanche’s profile was further raised with its inclusion in the Criterion Collection just a year after its release.
Three characters become implicated in life’s luck of the draw as Alex, a vengeful ex-criminal; Tamara, an exploited prostitute; and Robert, a guilt-ridden policeman, face a psychological battle—with themselves.
To escape from his meaningless existence, Alex attempts a bank robbery and hopes to use the money as an investment. Tagging along is Tamara, his secret lover, as they envision a future of possibility. Robert, near the site of the robbery that fateful day, must contend with an act that he may never recover from.
“I aimed at the tyres.”
An assured film of two distinct halves, notably in terms of tone and geography, director Gotz Spielmann takes us from seedy urban spaces to the tranquillity of a rural farmhouse.
Backed by solid performances all around, Revanche is about how anger and guilt are no more than both sides of the same coin—and the difficulty in trying to relieve these debilitating emotions.
‘Revanche’ has a double meaning in German: it means ‘revenge’ but also ‘rematch’; in other words, a second chance. For Alex and Robert particularly, second chances are what they need, even if they don’t seem to recognise that as they teeter towards the edge of self-destruction.
What makes Revanche consistently riveting despite the second half being bereft of ‘action’ is that in the psychological stasis, as it were, Spielmann plays with genre conventions and subverts them.
At the same time, the viewer always has the vantage point of knowing everything that has happened even when the characters don’t.
Grade: B+
Trailer:
Eternality Tan 