Directed by:
Florian GallenbergerCinematography:
Kolja BrandtCast:
Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist, Richenda Carey, Vicky Krieps, Jeanne Werner, Julian Ovenden, Martin Wuttke, August Zirner, Nicolás Barsoff (more)Plots(1)
A young woman's desperate search for her abducted boyfriend that draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a sect nobody ever escaped from. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (6)
Reviews (11)
A co-production Requiem for a Maiden without Renč's exploitative lack of feeling and above all without the lesbian scene with Holubová, from start to finish it's an incredibly mind-numbing and routine inspired-by-true-story Pinochet-era romance with no handwriting whatsoever. Emma Watson plays a lunatic well.
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Using cheap clichés from Hollywood genre movies, Colonia is silly in places, but at the same time, it has a solid romantic storyline and, in contrast to that storyline, can also be fascinatingly bizarre (the microworld of the colony, its characters and internal laws). Viewers are frightened by the cruelty of domination and the helplessness of the victims, and the tension’s so great that they are kept on their toes the entire time. Michael Nyqvist’s bad guy is truly abominable.
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Colonia has a somewhat slower start, in which we get acquainted with the characters and the inhospitable setting of Colonia Dignidad, while the second half is already more action-packed, and in the last twenty minutes I was squirming in the cinema, waiting anxiously to see how it would all turn out. Some of the colony scenes were really raw to the point of being uncomfortable to watch at times. It's almost unbelievable how out of control a system based on the thoughts of a fanatical madman can get. In short, a solid drama that gains more power and impact the moment you realize it's based on real events.
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If I were to approach Colonia as a so-called serious film that tries to analyze the political situation in Chile after Pinochet's coup and also examines the functioning of closed religious communities, I would have to unconditionally give it a negative rating, and quite radically. Fortunately, being well-informed, I have always perceived Colonia as an adventurous thriller with a strong romantic subplot that perceives the political situation after the military coup only as a backdrop for its storytelling. Within the genre, it is certainly above average. The film is well cast, especially Michael Nyqvist as the sect leader, who acts appropriately corrupted and demonic. He truly relishes the role. Of course, weaknesses and flaws can be found in the screenplay, especially in the last ten minutes when Colonia imitates the finale of Argo, which comes across rather comically. While in Argo, you felt like the Ayatollahs were breathing down your neck, while here the ending seems somewhat naive. However, the main thing is that, practically throughout the film, it maintains its pace and tension in line with what it wants to be. It simply entertains. I thus have no reason to give it less than 4 stars and a 75% overall impression.
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Argo 2 – made in Germany (so a bit worse). Too bad about the clumsy script, which throws up one formulaic thing after another, because otherwise this is a pretty decent German scenic drive. Great actors without exception, an electrifying finale, and an interesting, period-accurate, portrayal of 1970s Chile and the camp practices. Emma Watson confirms that she can break out of the role of Harry Potter's uptight friend and is starting to emerge as a top-notch actress with all the prerequisites for success.
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