Stereo

Story wise we do not get served something we might not have seen before (can't speak for everyone, but if you have seen a couple of thrillers, chances are, the plot is not new to you). But acting wise, we do get more than a treat. It's two of the best known actors finally together. German actors that is and only if you consider their acting skills that is of course.

We have a very decent effort to bring those two together, though the initial cat and mouse does not make any sense, especially considering the the insistence of the "second" character not wanting to go away after that. There is a lot of foreshadowing and you will be able to see where this is headed. The confrontation towards the end is nicely done, although this has some flaws too (again makes no sense). But the very end, is very good and gives us one final great moment ...

I found this film very boring, uninteresting, unrealistic during the first hour, or a little less. The characterization totally tepid, lousy at the most. Suddenly after this first hour, things change in the most radical way, before finishing in the best brutal fight sequences and a little more interest for the characters. You can try it.

The intertwined pasts of the two men lead us to a mystical, desperate attempt of catharsis. The cop dad is the the exact opposite reflection of the protagonist..cringey.. weak..but loyal. Like in Bertolucci's "Sheltering skies" the old man has visions that are both accurate and surreal. Blooming excellent end.

Stereo: Eric (Jurgen Vogel) is living in rural Bavaria, he runs a garage, is easy going, has a girlfriend. But her policeman father is suspicious of him. To be honest Eric is suspicious of himself, he's a bit dubious about his past, what really happened in his Berlin days. To add to his confusion a character called Henry starts to stalk him, Henry knows more about Eric's past than Eric does. The trouble is only Eric can see Henry. A therapist/medium with the aid of a wheelchair bound Aleister Crowley lookalike tries to help. Then a Roma man appears who seems to know Eric and attempts to involve him in a criminal scheme. A black comedy, gangster flick and revenge thriller which is quite edgy and violent. Vogel is good at portraying Eric as the confused everyman who just wants a quiet life and a family. But like Job the troubles of the world are showered upon him. Good acting all round as the film moves from fields to seedy nightclubs and a grand guignol finale. Directed and written by Maximilian Erlenwein. 8/10.

I anticipated this being more of a horror movie than the thriller it was, but that wasn't an unwelcome surprise. Stereo does a great job of establishing the main character in his initial setting, and I enjoyed seeing how he handled the turmoil of seeing the mystery man. It's around that part of the movie where I got a little bored waiting for the big reveal...

I really enjoyed this movie overall, and there were moments that bummed me out and made me angry. That being said, the story-telling is a bit disjointed and choppy, the pacing was a bit too slow, and nothing about the plot stood out as "new" to me. I would still casually recommend this, but it's not a must-see.