Styx

Directed by Wolfgang Fischer
Film Movement
2018
94 Minutes
Germany, Austria
English, German
Thriller, Drama
Not Rated
  1. Home
  2. In Theaters
  3. Styx

Premiering at the Berlinale, where it opened the Panorama Special section, STYX is a work of unrelenting intensity and technical brilliance. ER doctor Rike (Susanne Wolff) embarks on a one-woman solo sailing trip to Ascension Island in the Atlantic. When Rike comes across a sinking ship of refugees, she is quickly torn out of her contented and idealized world and must make a momentous decision. Aptly named after the mythological river that separates the living from the dead, STYX is an astute modern day parable of Western indifference in the face of marginalized suffering. Carrying practically the entire film, Wolff is riveting as a woman pushed to her physical, psychological and moral limits.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Wolfgang Fischer
  • Starring: Susanne Wolff
  • Starring: Alexander Beyer
  • Starring: Gedion Oduor Wekesa

Where to Watch

Amazon Fandango At Home Apple TV Google Play

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "Styx weaves a lean and gripping parable about the refugee crisis...a spartan (wo)man-versus-nature adventure tale in the style of All Is Lost, and one that’s even more strikingly authentic in its depiction of ocean sailing than J.C. Chandor’s film."
    Keith Watson, Slant Magazine
  • "A taut moral thriller...."
    Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
  • "A blunt, breathless, and astoundingly unsentimental morality play that’s told with the intensity of a ticking-clock thriller.... "
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire
  • "Like the small sailboat on which it is set, Wolfgang Fischer’s extraordinarily gripping account of a one-woman solo voyage across the Atlantic that is suddenly interrupted when she comes across a sinking trawler overloaded with refugees, is brisk, efficient and thrillingly dynamic. This is “All Is Lost” with a spinning moral compass and a topical dimension that proves even more gripping than its brilliantly achieved visceral action."
    Jessica Kiang, Variety
  • "'Styx' is minimalist filmmaking executed in superbly sharp fashion. Susanne Wolff... accomplishes more in a glance than most of her peers could ever hope to achieve with minute-long, uninterrupted diatribes. Benedict Nuenfels’s cinematography steals your undivided attention, and never once relents its evocative authority. "
    Jonathan Christian, The Playlist
  • "Carrying practically the entire film, Wolff is never less than remarkable in a demanding role that’s 80 percent silence and 20 percent English-language dialogue. The fully inhabited turn should further help cement her international status as a star to be reckoned with...."
    Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter
  • "A captivating maritime thriller…beautiful, thought-provoking and intense. Definitely see this one if you get the chance. "
    Sean Boelman, PopAxiom
  • "...with such effective, precise performances on both sides of the camera—making tension a constant in the changing inflection of physical and moral jeopardy—Styx emerges as one of the fest’s best."
    Adrian Mack, The Georgia Straight
  • "**** (4 stars) A slow burn thriller…the film ends with a devastating and quite beautiful gut punch."
    Ryne Clos, Spectrum Culture
  • "A thinking person’s survival drama."
    Jen Johans, Film Intuition
  • "As contemplative as it is engrossing...."
    Jim Ross, Take One Cinema
  • "A captivating, exhilarating cinematic experience."
    Alex Billington, FirstShowing.net
  • "Styx mixes the inherent danger of man versus nature with man's callous indifference to man, managing to be both eternal and contemporary in its concerns. The result is as dramatically satisfying as it is morally troubling."
    Tom Long, The Detroit News
Winner
Heiner Carow Prize
Berlin Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Ecumenical Jury Prize
Berlin Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Label Europa Cinemas
Berlin Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Best Feature Film
German Human Rights Film Award
Winner
Best Actress Metropolis Prize
German Directors Guild
Winner
Best Director Metropolis Prize
German Directors Guild
Winner
Best Producer Metropolis Prize
German Directors Guild
Winner
Best Actress
Günter Rohrbach Film Prize
Winner
Best Actress
Valletta Film Festival
Winner
Best Cinematographer
Valletta Film Festival
Winner
Flying Ox
Schwerin Art of Film Festival
Winner
Audience Award
Schwerin Art of Film Festival
Winner
Mehrwert Award
Vienna Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Best Director
Austrian Film Awards (Austrian Oscars)
Winner
Best Script
Austrian Film Awards (Austrian Oscars)
Winner
Best Film Editor
Austrian Film Awards (Austrian Oscars)
Winner
Best Cinematographer
Bavarian Film Awards
Winner
Best Film Award - Silver
German Film Awards
Winner
Best Actress
German Film Awards
Winner
Best Cinematography
German Film Awards
Winner
Best Sound Design
German Film Awards