German Angst (2015) Reviews

• One of the best modern Horror Anthologies

  algar2015-04-25

  I went to see German Angst after hearing that Jörg Buttgereit has directed the first part of three movies. I hadn't heard about the other directors: Michal Kosakowski and Andreas Marschall. The first movie draws a parallel between a pet guinea pig and people. Very gritty and painful movie really with many levels of meaning. Buttgereit's direction is as strong as ever here. The second movie is topical with all the racism going on in East-Europe and Ukraine where minorities are increasingly blamed of the problems instead of the "owners" that are causing the problems. The violence looks very painful and realistic without having to use excess gore and the conclusion is strong. The last movie was a true surprise. A well told story of a man looking for some extra spice from outside his current relationship. Well, he finds it. Some scenes remind me of Andrzej Żuławski's Possession, which is the ultimate relationship movie. The last movie features one of the most outrageous sex scene I have ever seen. No laughs here. German Angst is something that needs to be digested for a while. Something that is very rare these days where the actual content is often missing. Empty shells masked with glitter and hype.

• Not for me

  godzillabird2018-01-06

  This film was not for me. Personally I found it very disturbing and perverse, though I admit I made it partway through the second story only. I am not one with a weak stomach but this film managed to actually make me ashamed of my German ancestry. I'm not judging, you might enjoy it and maybe I'm just too sensitive. Like I said, it's just not for me.

• A trio of Teutonic terror tales.

  BA_Harrison2016-10-07

  A horror anthology from three of Germany's most shocking film-makers, German Angst opens with Final Girl, a unusually weak effort from Nekromantik/Schramm director Jörg Buttgereit, in which a young woman vents her anger on her abusive father by castrating him and cutting off his head, all the while waxing lyrical about her pet guinea pig Mucki. Heavy on the artsy-fartsy pretentiousness, but surprisingly light on the gore (the castration occurs off-screen, although Buttgereit doesn't spare us the sight of the victim's junk), this first story is the most disappointing of the three. The second segment, Michal Kosakowski's Make A Wish, is far more satisfying. Annika Strauss and Matthan Harris play a deaf and dumb couple of Polish descent who are humiliated and tortured by a group of racist thugs, but who manage to turn the tables on the gang's leader through the use of a magical amulet that allows the transference of souls. A nasty wartime flashback to the massacre of some Polish villagers by SS soldiers kicks off the strong stuff, and when poor innocent Strauss gets a bunch of fives in the face, its abundantly clear that this one isn't going to pull any punches. The third story, Alraune, from Tears of Kali director Andreas Marschall, is a lot of fun if only for its sheer weirdness. Milton Welsh plays fashion photographer Eden, who recounts to his girlfriend Maya (Désirée Giorgetti) how he has been lured into joining a bizarre cult where unimaginable pleasures can be experienced, just so long as one doesn't break the rules. Of course, he does just that, and what follows is seriously bizarre, kinda like Cronenberg meets Lovecraft, with some messy mutilation involving broken glass and a toothy tentacular sex-monster. 7/10—after a frustratingly poor start, German Angst proves to be a rather entertaining anthology.

• Deutsch Fear/Three

  kosmasp2015-05-31

  If you are into anthologies, this has some pretty good stories to tell. Starting off with a witty one, it gets better and better. The best of the three "shorts" being told last, which is good thinking/planning. The first story has a pretty solid story/idea, which unfortunately is being blocked a bit by sub-par "acting" (if you can call it that). The development and the "twist" (if you can call it that), is more than decent, but the acting might bother people (or not, it's up to you, if you care or not). The second one is also really good, also has a couple of issues with some of the acting. In this case it's more the support "players" than the couple who are the main characters in this. And then comes the last one. And that's really how you should end a anthology, because the last impression stays with people (which could be the reason why some rated it higher than they actually would have if they'd shown the shorts in a different order). Apart from the horror theme itself, there is not a major connection between those movies, they all handle a different sort of "fear" ... and that's a good thing too.

• Will you save my soul?

  nogodnomasters2017-09-23

  This is three tales from Germany. The film has subtitles and the last two segments were mostly in English. The first film was extremely boring as we watch the boring life of a girl as she narrates about her three legged hamster Mucki as she calmly tortures and mutilates her bonded father in the other room. The second film concerns a magical amulet in the possession of a mute couple who are harassed by hooligans. The third episode and longest by far was about a photographer who meets a girl on line and joins a special sex club. I found the entertainment value to be light even though the topics were unique in a general sense of the term. I never developed any connection with the people on the screen. Background character was not developed and acting could have been better. I am not entertained by a girl sitting on the bowl. Guide: F-word, sex, rape, nudity