Nothing Bad Can Happen

I hate when movies say "based on true events" with no further reference. It sometimes comes off as a marketing ploy. Unless and until the movie provides the inspiration material, it's nothing more than pure fiction and nothing else. Now this completely voids the necessity to put that it's based on real events in the first place.

I'm not even going to write a whole long review about this movie because I actually never want to think about it ever again. I've seen some messed up, vile and downright abhorrent films in my 40 years on this Earth, but this is the first time a movie has ever made me sick to my stomach. The entire last 30 minutes had my stomach in such a vicious knot, I actually considered turning the film off, and I really wish I would have.

Movies like Martyrs, Inside, and the like are difficult films to get through, but their over the top violence keeps them grounded. This film portrays the type of monsters that live among regular people, who wear their clothes and play their games. THIS is what true horror is; showing the vile nature of the degenerates that live in our neighborhoods.

I will never EVER watch this movie again, and anyone who is considering it, don't. It's a magnificently made film that no one should ever see. It will literally make you look at humanity differently.

People like this exist and live among us. God help us all.

Very realistic ,dark and gritty film .I could see this happening in real life!I enjoyed it although it is quite a harrowing film .

Going into movies as blind as possible, I often stumble on more misery than I bargain for. Since I had just seen The Snowtown Murders, I probably should have waited a bit longer on this movie. Given how similar they both are in tone and content, if you hated one, you should avoid the other, but if you liked one, definitely check out the other, just give it some breathing room for your own mental health.

Other films I'd put in this camp would be Hounds of Love and to lesser extent The Girl Next Door, though the later has more of a Hollywood sheen to the parts that don't wallow in depravity. The rest opt for a grimy realism that sinks you deeper into the filth of their content.

I often struggle with the merits of this genre though. On one hand, it is an achievement artistically. Between the acting and the authentic way everything is captured, they nail it. I'm fully immersed, I believe what's happening on screen, and I feel really bad about it. There are some interesting themes exploring issues of faith that stay sympathetic while leaning towards a bleak nihilistic outlook. They also pulled off one of the most disturbing scenes I've seen without an ounce of blood, so kudos there.

However, these films are often just this downward spiral of despair with no redemptive ark. As a viewer, you get just as pummeled as the characters, and I'm often left wondering why I do this to myself. I mean, I'm actively making the choice to never watch Slaughtered Vomit Dolls, so I've got to admit there is a line somewhere, I'm just not exactly sure where it is.

I was shocked to discover this is the debut feature for Katrin Gebbe. 'Nothing Bad Can Happen' is such a sure footed and skillful piece I was expecting a much more experienced director to walk onto stage when I saw the film at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Like any good film should, it drew larger themes from very simple scenarios and characters. The probing, but compassionate investigation of faith, trust and the insidious nature of violence kept me riveted. Though the main characters life would be hard for most people to relate to their own experience, his gentleness and his drive to be included in the world makes him quite universal.

Be warned, though the violence in the film is shown quite discretely, the psychological aspect of it is very confronting. That being said I wouldn't want to put anyone off seeing it, there isn't any kind of gratuitous reveling in any of the violence and all necessary for the plot.

Gebbe has masterfully constructed a film that illustrates how the horrors of the world stem from the banal jealousies and power plays that we all participate in. Her sensitivity to the dynamics of exploitation and how we treat the vulnerable in society is moving without resorting to sentiment or condescension.

I highly recommend this film and wait with anticipation with what Gebbe will come up with next.