A Young Man with High Potential

Pt me interested the whole time and the main characters transition throughout was chilling and very real.

6.2

This is a special movie. It comes from a particular place in the human psyche. A dark place; a fragile place.

It's hard to quite know how to make sense of this movie when you're finished with it. It's not dense or moralistic, even if there is a little bit of moral philosophy in its dialogue. It's neither pretentious nor essay fodder.

It's a strange, quiet nightmare that is physically formidable but also touches, on an abstract level, things we don't want to think about. Watching this, one desperately wants to say "No, that could never be me. I'm not like that, I'm not like him, I just wouldn't do that". And maybe you're right, but you still watch, desperate to see the outcome and at the same time, dreading it.

The first act builds with an eerie feather touch, just developing its characters and its set up so you feel like you could be either of them. Then a few simple but unfortunate twists of fate create an experience that no one is ready for emotionally.

It is not easy to watch. We get a lot of macabre movies out there. As much as I like horror done well I'm not sure I'd call this a horror movie. This is something both better and worse than a horror movie in the familiar sense. On a physical and psychological level, this confronts us with raw reality in a way that's often hard to be grateful for.

It has a sense of humor when it needs it. It lets you feel pathos and terror. I was in suspense until the end credits. Every note in this movie is perfectly judged. They even do the begin-at-the-end-thing in a way that give you credit as a viewer. No "three months earlier" nonsense.

A movie that couldn't be more mature in every sense of the term but it never speaks down to its audience. It seeks to stimulate emotions more than the intellect but is still very clever.

It will take away a piece of innocence you didn't know you still had.

The story is a slow burn, straight forward psychological drama that, much like the title character, spirals into darkness and horror. The thriller elements are subtle at first and the build up never really climaxes beyond the initial pace. But you know something bad is going to happen, you feel it in the small, nuanced mannerisms of Rowheder's character. There is a foreboding atmosphere that lingers through nearly every scene.

The casting choices here are brilliant choices. Especially Adam Ild Rohweder as Piet. He seems a little too comfortable and at ease in this character. A chilling, somewhat antisocial, seemingly harmless guy with a dark shadow nesting in his mind. It is a great performance. The rest of the acting feels just as natural. These are developed personas that breathe organically.

The horror comes. It takes a moment to manifest, but it hits hard. It isn't sensationalized, or glorified violence. There is no real embrace of exploitation. Everything is done carefully and almost authentically. More to the point of showing a bit more realism. That said, you can almost sense that this guy could have gone completely torture porn in his deprevity had it not been for the internal conflict taking place.

Overall "A Young Man With High Potential" is a wonderfully done, chilling psychological drama. The horror only exists pleonastically so don't think this is exploitation cinema. It is more reserved than one expects, but it is still a fully conceptualized downward spiral into a horrific event. The film is shot nicely and the practical effects and dark atmosphere, combined with a strong, timeless story make this movie worth watching.

A Young Man With High Potential: A dark thriller which segues into horror as a comedy of errors overwhelms a computer geek. Piet (Adam Ild Rohweder) is a nerdish computer science student, reclusive, fears even the slightest social interaction, depending on webcam girl Kylie for stimulation. So he flees when another student, Klara (Paulina Galazka), suggests they become partners on an informatics project but she perseveres They actually get on well but he mistakes friendliness for attraction Rebuffed he is devastated and makes dark plans. But when Klara calls to his apartment happenstance progresses his plans. Disaster strikes for Klara though. We then descend into bloody horror and one blunder after another. Literally the darkest of comedies. We know from the beginning of the film that all is not well as Piet is confronted by a private investigator Ketura (Amanda Plummer) hired by Klara's family. Elements of Mr Robot merge with slasher tropes as writer Anna de Paoli and director Linus de Paoli give us a lean (89 minutes duration) mean feature which will have you pondering upon what you've watched long after the final credits roll. 8/10.

Wow, where did this little nasty come from?

Sometimes it truly pays off cruising the web for little seen/alternative titles and this beauty came through in spades. Mashing genre trops such as horror, drama, thriller and tar-black comedy to near perfection, this impressive feature manages to be a stand out as both sad, horrifying and moving with utmost competance. I simply can't recommend this indie enough (if you have the stomach for it, that is)

Hope you enjoy it.