Colonia Dignidad - Es gibt kein Zurück

I've been to the premiere at the Film Festival in Zurich and I was moved by the movie, not because of the love story, but because of the irrefutable truth. The movie left me thinking and researching about its topic: Colognia Dignidad, a cult in Santiago de Chile. It conjures many ethical questions and portrays what humanity is capable of. The movie grips and doesn't let go of you till the end. The contents is real, except for the love story that forms the golden thread. One has to imagine that the movie portrays the life and the ways of Colognia Dignidad almost like a documentary without felt exaggeration, but it is still a movie with a story. Superb acting by Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl made the movie an even more intense experience. The only criticism I can make is that the love story is average in comparison to the rest. I believe that the characters actions don't always make much sense. All in all, it's one of the best movies I've seen this year and cannot be compared with the commercial films normally shown in cinemas.

Set in the early 1970's amidst the political turmoil that beset Chile at the time, we meet a German political activist – Daniel played by Daniel Brühl. His girlfriend is an air hostess, this is Lena played by the wonderful Emma Watson. Then Pinochet and his army take over the democratically elected socialist Government; this was obviously with US backing.

Well Daniel is soon swept up in the ruckus and taken to Colonia Dignidad. A colony run by another German called Paul Schafer; played brilliantly by Michael Nyqvist. He is a man who preaches the word of God but is one that talks the talk but does not reciprocate in the 'walking' department.

Now the full extent of what went on at the real colony is still, allegedly, a matter of conjecture but I won't say anything unless you are not aware of it. However, this does seem to try to cover a lot of what occurred and it uses the relationship of the two main protagonists as the vehicle to do so. It is a thriller and it is well made but it lacks a certain something to kick it further into the 'must be seen' category. Fans of Brühl and indeed Watson will not be disappointed though as they both give great performances, but Nyqvist gets all the great lines in a pantomime baddie role that was great fun to watch (for all the right reasons). In English with some Spanish and; this is one for those who like their thrillers to be not too much of a stretch but still well believable and indeed watchable.

Despite having found this docudrama incredibly powerful it did concern me that there were no Chilean actors in the production. Strange really given who Colonia Dignidad affected, and who were tortured, abused, held virtual hostage etc. I was in Chile at the end of the reign of the oppressive regime of Pinochet - and felt the film lacked the sound of the Chilean dialect (of Spanish). Maybe it could have included more of the direct and authentic voice of those who suffered. Or those who lived in the region. There were so many myths about the place in the media, in the streets, within the popular culture. Pity because this was a story that was worth telling.

A religious cult in Chile run by ex-Nazis?!? It may sound like a bizarre work of fiction, but the location portrayed in the historical drama "Colonia" (NR, 1:50) was all too real (except for the fictional romance at the center of the film). But before I get into my plot summary, I think that a little historical context is in order: In September 1973, a U.S.-backed military coup wrested control of the government of Chile from democratically-elected socialist president Salvador Allende and placed power in the hands of army commander-in-chief Augusto Pinochet. Under his 17-year rule, dissidents were persecuted, arrested, kidnapped, deposed, tortured and murdered. Pinochet's government used the remote Colonia Dignidad (Colony of Dignity) as a place to torture and murder some of the regime's political opponents. The public face of the colony was that of a charitable and educational organization. It was actually a religious cult where former Nazi medic Paul Schäfer imposed a strict Baptist interpretation of the Bible on all of his followers, many of who had emigrated with him from Germany. He forced them to live in dormitories segregated by gender, and with parents separated from their children, whom Schäfer sexually molested.

Daniel Brühl plays Daniel, a political activist from Germany who has been living in Chile for a few months working with a group of young people supporting President Allende. Daniel's girlfriend, Lena (Emma Watson), is a flight attendant who takes advantage of her week-long stopover in Santiago to spend time with Daniel. When a military coup suddenly drives Allende from power, the new government starts rounding up political dissidents, including Daniel – and Lena, who happens to be with him when he's arrested. In a soccer stadium, a man wearing a black hood identifies Allende supporters, including Daniel, who is whisked away in a van. Lena is able to trace the markings on the vehicle to the secretive and remote "Colonia Dignidad" compound, about 200 miles south of Santiago. She makes her way there and asks to join. "I want to know the way of the Lord," she says, wearing a small cross around her neck.

In her attempt to rescue her lost love, Lena is sacrificing her freedom – and putting her very life at risk. A harsh old woman named Gisela (Richenda Carey) takes her to meet the cult's leader, German expatriate and lay preacher Paul Schäfer (Michael Nyqvist). "Once you join us, you must remain," explains Schäfer. Lena agrees, in spite of observing his Christian fanaticism and some of his innate creepiness. Gisela relieves Lena of the small bag she had brought with her, gives her a few items including a set of linen, and assigns her a bed in the female dormitory. Most of the women show no interest in talking to the new arrival, but Lena befriends another young woman named Doro (Jeanne Werner) and, later, another named Ursel (Vicky Krieps). As Lena joins the women in their daily work in the fields and in other food preparation activities, she learns what she can about the camp and keeps her eyes peeled for Daniel.

Daniel has survived severe physical abuse at the hands of the Chilean secret police in the colony's subterranean torture chamber, but he is a bit worse for the wear. Besides his physical injuries, his speech is slurred and he now talks and acts like a child. Lena finally catches sight of Daniel when she steals a glance through the window of the colony's assembly hall during a men's meeting and is obviously concerned about his state of mind. Soon after, at a rare meeting with the cult's men and women all together, Lena takes the risk of approaching Daniel, hoping that the two of them can come up with a plan to escape the cult, something no one has done before. But there's much more at stake than "just" the fate of two young lovers. Besides the terrible ways that Schäfer uses and abuses his followers, it turns out that he's also into some other nasty business that further reduces even the slim chance that Daniel and Lena have to get away for good.

"Colonia" takes a little-known chapter in history and spins it into an interesting and entertaining tale of romance and danger. The story is perhaps best understood as a combination of "The Boys from Brazil", M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning "Argo"… if you can imagine that. This film's unusual setting contributes to its originality, as does telling a story in which it's the woman who comes to rescue the man. The actors are well cast, and this accomplished multi-national ensemble consistently offers up lived-in performances. The direction, by Florian Gallenberger (who won an Oscar for his 2000 live action short film "I Want to Be…"), sometimes feels a little disjointed, but he mostly keeps things moving and builds some serious tension into the movie's plot. The script (co-written by Torsten Wenzel and Gallenberger) is creative and smart. There may not be much actual dignity in the Colonia Dignidad compound, but this film dignifies itself with some quality story-telling. "A-"

This film tells the story of two German citizens who are in Chile under Pinochet dictatorship. They get locked up in a camp of a religious sect, and get mistreated, abused and tortured.

The story is super engaging, keeping me glued to the screen from start to finish! I applaud Lena's courage to go into the camp just to see her boyfriend, though it can also be argued that it is the silliest thing to do. It shows that love is blind, and rational decision is clouded by love. The conditions in the camp is horrible, made worse by the wicked headmaster who wrongly uses religion to control and abuse people. There is one scene that vaguely suggests sexual abuse, but it is so vague that I had doubts until the words appear at the end of the film.

The ending is super intense. I find myself grabbing onto my chair, leaning forward and simply hoping that things will work out. The desperation of the characters transmit through the screen to me, and I just hope so sincerely that they will make it.

I didn't expect such an intense adventure. I enjoyed watching 'Colonial" thoroughly.