NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN (2013)

 

Written & Directed By: Katrin Gebbe Cinematography: Moritz Schultbieb Editor: Heike Gnida 

Cast: Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Alexander Gersak, Annika Kuhl, Gro Swantje Kohljof, Daniel Michael

The young Tore seeks in Hamburg a new life among the religious group called The Jesus Freaks. When he by accident meets a family and helps them to repair their car, he believes that a heavenly wonder has helped him. He starts a friendship with the father of the family, Benno. Soon he moves in with them at their garden plot, not knowing what cruelty is there to come. True to his religious belief he stays with them although the increasing violence by Benno is torturing him. Tore is fighting the torment with his own weapons. So a dangerous struggle between libidinous actions and altruism begins. Inspired by true events.

This is a film that took me by surprise. I only heard about it recently.

This is a horror tale that sneaks up on you in the worst way, in plain sight. As it seems like a drama at first. As it isn’t a horror film Filled with slashers or any supernatural evil.

It all boils down to being a movie about faith about a character who has an unwavering faith and no matter how bad things get beloved he is being tested for a higher purpose. He encounters a man who is a sociopath and just so filled with hate and evil that he makes it his mission to try and get him to stop believing and take out His anger on him whenever frustrated.

Even if he hadn’t encountered this teenager the sociopath would bring those around him down and finding these victims might have saved others from his terror.

The Second half of this movie is brutal and upsetting. So that once the film is over you feel dirty or somehow stained from the experience.

The teenage character believes he has to accept these punishments. To save others. So they are safe but by witnessing it hopefully, they will finally be brave and strong enough to run away. As the family seems to stay with him out of survivor’s syndrome. Some prove to be just as evil as accomplices who just need a bit of a push or to be led into that behavior. The teen sees the main character as a challenge eventually instead of being afraid and realizing how disturbed this guy is.

It also doesn’t help that the sociopath is obviously jealous of the teen in a few ways. Especially when it comes to his teenage daughter. 

He sells to prove him wrong. As the teen stays true to his faith and religious convictions that ultimately he seems he can never defeat. Even as he seems hell-bent on trying to punish him for his beliefs. Truly showing strength of conviction. Leading the movie to some dark and disturbing places.

What is upsetting about this film is that it is supposedly based on a true story and also it’s a. Martyr tale that is upsetting as there is no comeuppance. So no sense of justice and no emotional or tension release. 

What is scary is the terror through the movie is so matter of fact. That sets the tone. As there is nothing necessarily heightened. It is all in plain sight. Little by little, we can tell something isn’t right. It stays believable

The wife tries to say that nothing has been right since the teen got there. Though things seemed already a bit off. The addition of him only adds an adversary for him to lord over and make a slave maybe just for his faith or showing him up in a brief random meeting in the begging getting his car to work. 

Though at times the cruelty comes out of nowhere like selling him off, if only for extra income. It infuriates the audience when he has a chance to escape but see’s all of this as his mission. 

It’s filmed more like a docudrama, though it can feel like torture porn. To get there seems to be a point to it all. 

The acting is spot on and believable. No performance rings false. 

There is some hope at the end but only born out of tragedy. As all around are made into an accessory. Very disturbing. This plays like a Michael Haneke Film that tries to mix with a Lars von Trier movie, but those films can come off as natural. This seems cruel to be cruel. Sadistic and just when you think there will be somebody to save him or some hope. It shows how cruel that world and environment are.

Grade: B