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Austrian angst

Daniel B. Clendenin | www.journeywithjesus.net | 01/29/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Antares is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, but everyone in this film flames out into darkness. As I watched the lives of three dysfunctional couples deconstruct, my mind wandered to the wisdom of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria: "Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." All three couples are trapped in the same drab high rise apartments that serve as metaphors for their interior landscapes. The bored nurse Eva has an affair with an out of town doctor, but despite their torrid love affair she does not even remember the man's last name; nor do we ever learn her husband's name. The young and needy checkout clerk Sonja fakes a pregnancy to persuade her cheating boyfriend Marco to marry her. He's an immigrant laborer from Yugoslavia, injecting not only class-consciousness but ethnicity and immigration into the film. Despite her efforts to free herself, domestic violence traps Nicole with the jealous and abusive Alex, the third couple. In twists of fate that are more bizarre than important to the plot, the lives of these six people crash and collide, but only as ships passing in the night. Austrian angst buries everyone. In German with English subtitles."

Careful Viewing Is Rewarded

Daniel G. Lebryk | 05/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Antares sounds like a reasonably normal film, the story of three couples living in a bleak apartment complex. This is far from an average normal film. This is an explicit film, not only for the intimate moments, but also in the way that people treat eachother. The director, Götz Spielmann, has sparks of Tom Tykwer in him; he plays with the timeline and three different views of events. There is an ever so slight feeling of Run Lola Run (Run Lola Run).

This film is not for everyone. The film opens with a man in the back seat of a cab looking at intimate photographs of a woman. Suddenly the cab is hit by another car and the screen goes black. We are then transported to the horribly mundane life of a very beautiful blonde wife, housewife, nurse, mother; Eva. It turns out that Eva is having an affair with another man. Early in the film there is a very intimate explicit passionate scene between Eva and her lover. There is a shocking contrast between this scene and the following dinner scene with her husband and daughter. The second act of the film, connected through scenes or events from the first act, is of an almost dead looking white, blonde woman that is a cashier at the local grocery store. The second act is about her relationship with an imigrant. The third act is again connected through scenes in the first and second acts, and is about another blonde woman living in a separate building from the first two. This story is about the abusive relationship she has with her estranged husband.

This may seem like a detailed description of the plot that might give away some secrets, however, that could not be farther from the truth. This is a multilayered plot that twists over on itself. Götz Spielmann has done a magnificant job in paiting these interesting characters, and then taken the timeline and completely thrown it out the window.

Camera work is impeccible, every shot is locked solid on a tripod. If there were handheld shots, they were smooth and unobtrusive. The choice of framing was outstanding. There is a scene on the train just after Eva's rendezvous at the hotel - Eva is staring straight ahead from the far left of the screen. The rest of the frame is an expanse of black window with faint lights going past. On closer inspection, there is the reflection of another couple in the train, with the man on top of the woman, both are fully clothed, but they are clearly having sex. We hear him say, should we go to your apartment? It's this type of framing and details that are spread throughout the film.

If there is one complaint about this film, it's the last 5 minutes. Somehow the director lost his way to closing the film. There is a sort of epilog after the third act is resolved. The film meanders around a little bit trying to find the finish. The director does finally find his way, and the final scene is just about right.

The film is not rated by the MPAA, it did achieve and R rating in Canada. This is on the upper end of an R rating, almost to the NC-17 territory. The opening act is the most graphic of scenes. There is both male and female full nudity in this film. This is nowhere near the pronography area at all. Language is not particularly strong. And there is very little violence. However, the film is definately a very mature film.

Another fabulous film brought to the US by Film Movements. This is a series to watch if you love independent and often times foreign film. Antares is an intense, explicit film that is very rewarding. If you loved this film, another film in this series that is just as wonderful, Fraulein."

A new reality

Red Latin | Ft Lauderdale, FL USA | 05/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great movie for voyeurs. I gave this movie four stars; for its originality, its amazing subtleness in story continuity, which at times gave you the feeling of watching a superposed image in a reality show and the unpretentious, yet very professional work of these talented group of actors. With directors such as: Michael Haneke, Ulrich Seidl and Gotz Spielman Austria is ceirtainly becoming a leader in avant garde cinema for the 21st century."