Sebastian Fitzeks Der Heimweg

"The Calendar Killer" wants to be something different. From the title alone, it projects a sense of self-righteousness, an air of significance. I wanted to buy in - I really did. The dark, moody atmosphere, the German dialogue that demands full attention. It had promise. But as the mystery unfolds, so do its flaws, unraveling in ways that feel less like a carefully plotted puzzle and more like a slow descent into absurdity.

The protagonist is sympathetic enough, the kind of character you're supposed to root for. And at first, I did. But then she makes choices - bewildering, frustrating choices - that seem completely divorced from reality. The kind that pull you out of the story rather than deeper into it. The film wades into sensitive territory, clearly aiming for depth, but it never quite lands the punch. Instead, it fumbles its message, leaving the protagonist delivering a speech that should resonate, should mean something. Instead, it frustrates.

That's when it lost me. I can suspend disbelief when a story earns it, when the logic of its world holds together. But here? Here, the cracks are too big, the missteps too frequent. And for a film that wants you to think, to reflect, to feel something meaningful - it instead achieves something else entirely. An eye roll.

I love a psychological movie.

This is a good one.

However this is more about a victim of domestic abuse.

I'm trying not to give away spoilers, I hope I don't.

I wouldn't say it's a serial killer movie, it just states that there is one a few times but It doesn't mention other victim's.

It's mainly focused on one potential victim's story, she is running from a serial killer and her abusive husband.

The helpline worker gets her to speak her struggles and connects to her.

This is a great story, good acting, well shot.

It wasn't until most of the way through that i suspected what was happening.

Definitely a thumbs up.

(2024) The Calendar Killer/ Sebastian Fitzeks Der Heimweg (In German with English subtitles) PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

At the intro from the news media about the "Calendar Killer" for the reason he has been given that name is because he jots the exact day each victim is going to be killed. The difference is viewers do not know who "The Calendar killer" is nor know what he looks like, until the very end. The next scene has Jules (Sabin Tambrea) in charge of his own call in hotline for women called "Walk Me Home Hotline" and giving some helpful and useful advice to a lady who phoned in regarding a group of men. And as a result of some advice, she managed to wait around long enough to get on to her bus. Jules next caller is Klara (Luise Heyer) who she is on a midlife crisis claiming she was on the domain of the killer himself until she found a way to escape. And for the next hour or so, we know more about the lives of both Klara and Jules. From Klara and her so called important abusive husband, Martin (Friedrich Mücke) and how Jules motivated to have his own "walk me home" service operator, that has something to do with the loss of his wife while he was working as a 911 operator.

The revelation that lead up to the Calendar killer makes no sense as viewers are completely oblivious about his connection and his previous victims whomever that might be.

And there it is again, and it bothers me as a German viewer especially, the well-known problem of German film: this extreme artificiality. People act and talk according to a script, but not the way they would in real life. Actors act in front of the camera as if they were on a theater stage. The camera is 10 cm in front of their face, but they act as if this were an evening for the 10th row in the 2nd tier. And when you add to that such a thin plot that makes me wonder who didn't notice the huge gaps, the result just can't be good. And it isn't. The movie suffers from many things at once and suffocates from its clichés.

I watched The Calendar Killer because it seemed like a short thriller with the potential to entertain me. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, and maybe that's why I found it competent in keeping the audience engaged.

The plot follows a killer who forces his female victims to choose between dying or killing their own husbands. The story mainly focuses on a woman facing this ultimatum, who finds support from a man working at a domestic abuse helpline. Together, they navigate the tense events of that night in an attempt to survive.

The concept is interesting, and I love "race against time" thrillers. The film managed to hold my attention, especially by addressing sensitive and important topics like domestic violence. However, I felt it lacked balance between suspense, mystery, and drama. There were moments when I was fully immersed in the tense game between the victim and the killer, but they were abruptly interrupted by dramatic scenes that broke the intensity. On the other hand, when I got invested in the protagonist's emotional struggles and complex relationship, I was suddenly thrown back into the fast-paced suspense. The editing didn't help much in this regard, making the narrative feel a bit disjointed.

The plot twists were another weak point for me. While some were interesting, they felt forced and even unrealistic at times. Moreover, a small detail early in the film made me suspicious of the final reveal, which took away some of its impact. But I admit this might be my fault, as I'm quite familiar with the tricks thrillers use to mislead the audience.

Overall, The Calendar Killer isn't a bad film, but it's far from fantastic. It does its job of entertaining and, in the process, touches on an important and heavy topic. However, its approach remains somewhat superficial, never fully exploring the depth of the issue. It's an easy watch, but not a memorable one.