The
enamoured relationship between Linda (Sandra Bourdonnec) and Jakob (Ludwig
Reuter) slowly begins unravelling when Jakob begins to be tormented by
disturbing, reoccurring nightmares in which Linda appears as a beautiful but
deadly succubus. Jakob, frightened by the realism of the nightmares, acts aloof
and distant to Linda. Confused and hurt by Jakob’s behaviour, Linda soon finds
herself engulfed in her own troubles when she discovers she has been plagued by
a family curse which has blighted her family for hundreds of years. Jakob,
becoming more and more unstable, begins to completely lose his grip on reality
and asks his best friend Kurt, a small-time hitman, to murder Linda. However,
Kurt is extremely reluctant to partake in this request. Under the looming
threat of their once idyllic world being destroyed forever, will Jakob be able
to break free from his personal hell and reclaim his sanity? As for Linda,
every single family member who had fallen under the spell of the curse had
perished. Will she be able to defy history and survive? The latter all depends
on whether Kurt chooses between loyalty to his friend, or standing by his own
conscience.
The Devil of Kreuzberg is the latest production
from extraordinarily talented filmmaker Alexander Bakshaev (Naked Trip, Bittersweet and DEFINTELY one to watch in future). With the running
time a short but sweet 50 minutes, Devil
is a brilliantly realised journey of love, hate, life, death and friendship,
set in the uber-cool Berlin district of Kreuzberg.The cosmopolitan cast of hip young things are
perfectly suited to their roles, in particular Sandra Bourdonnec and Ludwig
Reuter as the haunted and ultimately doomed young lovers. Both give subtle, but
at the same time intense and memorable performances. One of Bakshaevs’
specialties is combining human drama with supernatural or horror-based themes -
it is hinted at that there is much more below the surface of the various
relationships between Linda, Jakob and Kurt, which creates some intriguing
speculation for the viewer. Devil is
also filled to the brim with Bakshaev’s trademark stunning imagery – the
rainwashed streets highlighted by the glow of neon and street lights gives a
pleasing Argento-esque vibe at times (and indeed there are loving nods to Jean
Rollin and Jess Franco throughout the film). Each and every scene has been
painstakingly, carefully crafted, and it shows in the gorgeous composition, the
stylish set design, the fluid camerawork. Finally, mention must go to the
refreshingly unique use of soundtrack music – the distinctive, but never overly
intrusive, combination of electronic and experimental jazz tracks makes for a
hypnotic soundscape that fits in with the action perfectly. The Devil of Kreuzberg is a very
entertaining and watchable merging of arthouse and poetic European Gothic, and
hopefully in future will deservedly reach a wider audience.
