Schramm

I have known and heard of this movie ages ago. I was expecting something along the lines of Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Hostel, but i got something new here.

Compared to the director's previous works of Nekromantik and it's sequel, this movie actually seems to be meaningful. The idea and the gore visuals are awesome. This is the first time that we are watching exactly through the killer's mind.

It is sort of similar to the movies like The Untold Story, Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Angst, as we just follow our main lead. Compared to the three films i just listed, this movie actually showcases how our main character is struggling, how he is truly lonely, and how he actually has schizophrenia, and you actually feel sorry for him. However, also compared to all the previous three films, all three of the films were made better, plot-wise and technically-wise.

Now it's time for the negatives: None of our characters really have any depth. Angst just is a pitch-black dark movie, and you care, here it's really a mixed bag. The movie repeats it's scenes that we have already seen and that's pretty annoying. At the start of the movie, we learned that our main character is dead, which sort of spoiled the ending.

I feel like i have to rewatch this a second time, but this movie is just a mixed bag.

This has to be one of the best serial killer films if not for the camerawork or editing (much better than Buttgereits previous stuff) for its deadly realism. The special thing about this one is that it doesn't depict - instead it forces viewers to see from the killers eyes and think the killer's way.

Moreover, and mainly because of the obvious improval of the technic (it LOOKS much more professional than, say, Nekromantik, even if it's not, and I know because I watched the special edition where we see how they filmed this thing) , this film might appeal to other people as well, apart from sickos and people on weird / gore films.

I can imagine that some serious cinema-lovers could take this very seriously and consider it a great film as it is.

I think of Schramm like a train and you're tied to the tracks. Its a primitive film, full of aggression and violation. Buttgereit's film Nekromantik was snide and built up a cult, Schramm has more narrative than his film Der Todesking but its definitely not linear. Schramm retains the trademark cinematic dissociation Buttgereit does so well and which makes this film disturbing. Its the cheapness of the gore and the ordinariness of the surroundings which makes the dissociation possible. Odd to say, but there's a scary realism here in the blankness and bleakness. Its grosser than ever in Buttgereit land and this tale of a self-abusing, disturbed killer is compulsive viewing if you can

Schramm is the story of a serial killer that goes by the name of 'The Lipstick Killer'. The camera work and editing are completely amazing, and the story never gets old. Lothar Schramm is a man who is sexually deprived, and as far as I can tell, afraid of women. This isnt such a good thing for his next door neighbor, a prostitute. This movie is almost in the vein of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, but it is much more graphic and poetic then Henry could ever imagine. Now, I had read ALOT about this movie (as I am a big Jorg Buttgereit fan) so I knew what the movie was about, and how it was going to end, and blah blah blah. But when I actually bought a copy of it and sat down and watched it, I was completely blown away. It wasnt ANYTHING what I thought it was going to be, and I mean that in an extremely good way! If you want to see a beautifuly-Ugly film, with an amazing/twisted love story, Gorgeous camera-work, and an extremely dedicated director, Please rent this.

All I can say about this movie is "what?" Granted I watched it in the wee hours of the morning, and perhaps my perceptions were skewed but...wow. Very strange. And what was with the Hammer and Nails on the map? this movie comes off as very choppy and incoherent. I'm always glad to incorporate new and different titles into my library... but i don't think I want to admit to having this one. True it is far better than most serial killer movies, because this shows what's going on with the serial killer and not the detectives investigating him. there wasn't a single cop in the movie. Kind of makes you think how he was getting away with everything. especially when he seems so inept to being able to get through the day sanely. I do believe i am now scarred for life.