Hinterland
The year is 1920. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has fallen and what remains has devolved into social unrest and political turmoil. Peter Perg (Murathan Muslu), a soldier of the Great War, returns home to a nightmarish Vienna he no longer recognizes. A serial killer is on the loose, and Perg soon discovers that he is personally connected to the victims. Pulled back into his old duties as a former police detective, he finds an ally in the cool-headed forensic doctor Theresa Körner (Liv Lisa Fries), and their investigation leads them into the darkest corners of the city.
From the director of the Oscar-winning film The Counterfeiters, Hinterland is a visually audacious work of Expressionistic cinema that received the Audience Award at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Cast
- Murathan Muslu
- Liv Lisa Fries
- Marc Limpach
- Max von der Groeben
DVD Features
BONUS FEATURES:
- Commentary by director Stefan Ruzowitzky
- VFX Featurettes
Bonus Short Film
Haute Cuisine
Directed by Merryl Roche
France
French with English subtitles
24 minutes
While toiling away in the highly competitive kitchen of a top-rated restaurant, Marie (Joséphine Japy) inadvertently discovers a strange new ingredient that wins her the admiration of the chef but with frightening consequences.
Discs: 1
- "The Third Man meets Se7en amid the chaos of post-First World War Vienna in atmospheric serial-killer thriller Hinterland, a welcome return to the limelight for director Stefan Ruzowitzky some 13 years after his The Counterfeiters landed the international Oscar. Built around a powerhouse performance by Murathan Muslu as a battle-scarred veteran enmeshed in a nightmarish murder-mystery, the film imaginatively deploys green-screen technology to conjure off-kilter visions of the Austrian capital a century ago."
- "Shot almost entirely on blue screen, this return to Expressionist cinema impresses with its boldness...."
- "This immersive and wildly imaginative crime thriller thrives thanks to director Stefan Ruzowitzky’s (The Counterfeiters, Cold Hell) bold vision. "
- "Dazzling digital visuals are a key selling point for this stylish retro-noir serial killer thriller."
- ""Stylish noir thriller...evocatively seedy but highly enjoyable murder mystery."
- "Expressionist painters like Ludwig Meidner spring to mind, as does Lars Von Trier’s post-World War II journey into the abyss, “Europa,” with its own looming back-projections and moral swamps. "
- "Shot in the style of Sky Captain or The Wanting Mare, with backdrops which hark back to early German expressionism, looking for all the world like a Robert Wiene or FW Murnau set, Hinterland is a visual treat. This does nothing to hamper the excellent cast, who capture their classic archetypes perfectly yet still deliver performances with a human dimension."
- "Dizzying post-war perfection…visually imaginative… Hinterland may be gloomy, but its brief editing, great performances, thoughtful ideas, and elaborate visuals make it a perfect post-war rumination. "
- "Director and co-writer Stefan Ruzowitzky (“The Counterfeiters”) has created a lurid, teeming ancient city of gloom, tilted buildings, narrow streets and striking (canted floors) interiors, the visual embodiment of an empire broken and revived as a republic, a ruling class stripped of its nobility but not power and a world turned upside down. "
- "Although there have been films with extraordinary production design and cinematography…rarely has production design been elevated to becoming a character within the scenario. Here, it is…. Ruzowitzky…has created another film of depth and interest. His ability to tell a story visually is exceptional."
- "A stunner and a must-see...."
Awards & Recognition
Audience Award - Best Film
Locarno Int'l. Film Festival
Thessaloniki Int'l. Film Festival
BFI London Film Festival
Hamburg Film Festival
Palm Springs Int'l. Film Festival
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