Traumland

Heavily shocking. The Audience in our movie stayed for minutes quiet after the ending. No one did even a move. I felt that what I just saw happens right outside my doorstep. And it does. In one of the most prosperous countries of the world. Swiss movies do normally not reach this level of perfection, there's always something awkward, mediocre actors, wooden dialogs, simple story's or whatnot. This movie does everything right. Luna Zimic Mijovic plays brilliantly as the 18 year old prostitute Mia who centers and links all the involved people in this story. The other actors do a solid job, but are pale in comparison. They become more contoured versus the end of the film,where they contribute to Mias downfall. The movie pulls you right in and never fails to keep you interested. Although the ending is predictable, it hits you like a train. Not for the feeble minded.

The author slash director of this movie was a good pupil. I can tell from the abuse of blurs, of hands and faces filmed under a harsh light even if there is no harsh light in the scene and from the frame in frames that person did art school time. Also, I can tell from the abuse of slow scenes in varied locations that the budget was generous, originated from one of the many state owned cine-funds. And the bad acting made the characters even worse. Oh, the characters! The writer never met those people. And what's worse, all the extra scenes, all the mess with so many character that go in and out of the full-of-objects scenes, all is very forced.

I disliked the excess of religious themes. I disliked the white power morals. The prostitute is East European. The religious nut is also a foreigner. In a way the foreigners are there to mess the good life of the white Christian majority. Sex? All the sex scenes are there for the shock value and are gratuitous. Translations for the foreign dialogue? Why the foreign language dialogue in the first place? Just to make it more obvious that the trouble makers are not Swiss? I disliked how every woman is a victim in her own way. I disliked how there is no story. I disliked how none of the characters moving around has any story to tell.

This is simply a bait movie, just like Moartea domnului Lazarescu: people will identify with one of the character and fill in the missing story.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Very solid work by Petra Volpe reminded me of Ulrich Seidl and Barbara Albert's reflections on anomie in Austria. After the showing which I attended Q & A with Volpe and Judith Kaufmann focused on Swiss prostitution and the plight of women, but I saw Traumland as much more about alienation, as is borne out by the lack of functional intimate relationships between anyone at all within the film.

A strong piece, which while frequently gritty and unsettling also contains a pleasant range of emotions, including frequent humor. The closing scene was perhaps a bit lazy to my mind. I look forward to more films from Volpe.