Unter den Palmen

This is probably the most empty, pretentious film you'll ever see. The problem is that you know what's going on within 10 minutes but Kruishoop herself doesn't. So she goes on and on and on ... with phoney "intellectual" (hah-hah) dialogues, no plot to speak of, an absolutely hilarious direction (especially the actors direction), a deadly boring atmosphere etc.

Yes, this film can be very enjoyable, in the same way that "Plan 9 of outer space" was. However, plan 9 was less pretentious.

I really enjoy this movie. I knew I was gonna like this movie when the music started and the title of this movie appeared on the screen. The coldness of this movie is what I like. Though I don't want to live in a cold world like this, I got much pleasure experiencing it through this movie. I like the music, the atmosphere, the acting and the rhythm of it. This director is great in creating the atmosphere. I felt I was drawn into it. I also like the way characters are created. The movie shows both the strengths and the weaknesses of the leading characters. Sometimes I think they are so cruel and brutal, but then the movie shows that they are very weak inside. Sometimes I think they are aggressive, later I saw that they are also victimized. I like Tanya very much, not because she is very sexy and elegant, but because I felt connected with this character. I admire and have a great respect for this character. Though I don't approve of everything she did, I really sympathize her.Moreover, I felt chilled and thrilled seeing this movie, because I realized that characters in this movie are capable of doing many things beyond my imagination. There are many many scenes that I like in this movie. These scenes impressed me a lot, and I don't know exactly why they can affect me this strongly. These scenes include the scene when Tanya's lover talks to a woman behind a door, the scene when Tanya sits in a car and sees a woman standing on one side of the street, the scene when Tanya runs away from those two guys and descends the staircase, and also the two shocking scenes. This movie is never boring or dull for me. It affected my feelings and my senses in a strange way. I have to give this movie 10 out of 10.

The blue wash that prevails in this movie does provide a sense of cold. Cold purpose, cold clarity (at times) and the effect of the characters retreating from each other and themselves. OK so maybe one can read too much into this but nonetheless the "colour" scenes are not always the best ones. So no Psycho comparisons. I truly did find myself watching through the blue haze trying to determine if I appreciated it or not. I guess time is the best measure as I look back, I remember that aspect of the show the best.

Udo Kier also does a fine job.

I enjoyed this movie and have hunted for a copy ever since seeing in on IFC.

I caught this film once (about 10 minutes in) while traveling.

I ended up staying in the hotel to finish the movie. I found the camera work stylistic and at time distracting but enjoyed the movie a lot.

The use of blue wash does make the film appear cold but it also enhances some parts of the film.

I will admit it took me a lot of x-referencing to find the full title and I ended up finding it on IMDb by referencing Udo Kier

I have searched periodically since then for it on DVD but have not yet had any success.

Watch it if you can!

cwr

I've seen three hour films that went by quicker than this one. The plot was thin and extremely slow. The dialogues were oh, so meaningful and boring. But the worst part for me was the ice cold atmosphere of the film. The blue neon light and the minimal music were all pretty enough, but because of the lack of an interesting story it's all that you remember at the end of the film: coldness.