Die Fremde

Nothing to sing about here in a very mundane TV movie prison drama. It seems like it is confused about if it should shock its audience or to tug on the heart strings, it does neither and remains a curiosity piece only for fans of the acting family Phoenix, as here we get Rain Phoenix doing OK whilst looking exactly like Joaquin. Some initial promise with the characters is never fully realised, and when the violence does come it seems almost as if they felt they needed to up the anti to keep the viewer interested. Not a total waste of time but not one to reccie with confidence to fans of prison dramas.

4/10

The director of this film was my professor for a beginning film class at Temple University this past semester. She is a very intelligent and funny woman, and at the end of the semester, we watched this film. Grades are in already, so don't think I'm posting this to brownnose, but I really enjoyed seeing Ms. Dunye's film.

The "women-in-prison" plot is not an area covered very often in film, and when it is touched on, there are too many stereotypes to keep count of. Although there is some predictability in this film, the subject matter and themes were looked at from a very fresh angle. Ms. Dunye often talked to our class about incorporating reality and fiction together so that the two would blend and the line separating them would be blurry. This is exactly what she's accomplished in this film. The storyline is believable and the viewer becomes sympathetic to the characters; even though they are convicted prisoners, we look past the bars and into the minds of these women. We may not understand their motives, but we appreciate their actions. I'd recommend this film to anyone, especially those who've never seen a movie covering this subject area before.

4/5

What would probably be referred to as a "gritty slice of life drama" on the movie box (I saw it on TV) is interesting insofar as it presents another perspective -- it's the female equivalent of the "Oz" TV show (produced by HBO films), without the smarmy sexuality (the women are appropriately mannish, but the film doesn't feel the need to make their sex aggressive and off-putting). There are a few brief moments of tenderness between the women, but it's mostly the same thing you get with the majority of prison life movies -- fights, friendships, back-stabbings, immoral guards -- just with female machismo. It sets up the inner life of the prison, these people who inhabit it, but it doesn't show us human beings in prison (despite the old-timers' advice in group therapy sessions), it shows us prisoners. I liked the ending, so it gets an extra point for that, simply as a story; but if you're looking for "cinema," look elsewhere. 7/10

There are quite a few things wrong with this film. Let's see:

We don't like any character too much. The main character's quiet, yet aggressive, manner hinders the character development. The duality of love among prison "families" and prison violence is not totally believable. At times, the movie actually seems slow moving.

This movie is very similar to some other prison movie in every aspect except the ending.

I sure didn't expect the ending yet now it makes perfect sense. All by itself the ending makes the movie worth watching.

This film takes you on a roller coaster ride through a treacherous and dismal glimpse in the life of a street-hardened incarcerated woman named Treasure, a gang-banging "G" girl,searching for her imprisoned mother who abandoned her in her youth. Often times, prison movies rely heavily on violent content to carry the movie over the top. This movie is intriguing because it delves into the relationships and encounters Treasure has in her quest to find her mother, showing not only her vulnerability and humanness, but also her ruthlessness and desperation...a great character study. This film could have been outstanding had more attention been paid to other main characters in depth as was Treasure's character. The film's ending was quite surprising and not what you would expect from your average prison movie.I would recommend this film for your collection.