Der menschliche Faktor

We kick off Sundance today with world dramatic entry Human Factors. What seemed to be a slow beginning quickly turned into an engaging watch. The use of different points of view from each family member only added to the drama of a family falling apart. At first it was hard to distinguish the time frame so there was a little bit of disorientation, but quickly it revealed the setup in a manner easier to follow. Performances were great on all parts, but Sabine Timoteo won me over. May I also add the gorgeous cinematography to take into consideration. Writer and director Donny Trocker made a beautiful film and I wish him all the luck in upcoming awards.

And serious, at the border of boring filmaking, a story told in retrospect, a groundhog dayish fable of a family in crisis and despair, told from each family members prospektive, just where the human factor rings a bell and shows in a european filmstyle the aspect of the human factor.

Its not a fun film, sehr ernst and geduldig, couldve been 15 minutes shorter, and the entity of it all becomes far to deep for a grumpy old man.have a look if you love german movies, but this wasnt recommendable from my perspective.

Wanna watch a boring foreign film about a kinda dickish man and overly annoying woman being passive-aggressive to each other? Want the catalyst of all that to be based on a nothing burger incident? Wanna see that incident replayed over and over in a Roshomon-type structure from the perspective of the dickish man, annoying woman, AND their bland son and lame daughter? Wanna slog through all that with the style of the boring parts of a Michael Haneke film, without any of the fun violent bits, and just end up at the uninteresting nonexistent payoff? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you'll like this movie way more than I did.

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One of my intentions with this edition of Sundance was to catch as many foreign language films as possible, but without forcing myself to watch a movie that didn't interest me in the slightest. Human Factors has an intriguing premise that instantly grabbed my attention, and it was the first international flick that I added to my watchlist, so I was definitely excited. Unfortunately, it fails to build its concept in a compelling manner throughout the entire runtime, even though it's technically impressive.

Klemens Hufnagl's cinematography is undoubtedly the standout of the entire film. Ronny Trocker employs long takes and uses the physical performances from the cast to deliver the intended messages and hints to the understanding of the underlying themes that surround the overarching mystery. Different viewers can interpret these topics in distinct ways, and the screenplay's structure allows for each character's perspective of the break-in to address matters such as isolation, paranoia, personal fears, and much more. Sadly, these subjects gradually become less interesting and too philosophical due to the individual storylines that become apparently detached from the main plot.

The terrific, smooth camera work left me hoping for something that would profoundly affect the movie in a positive way, but the twisty yet unimpactful third act doesn't compensate for the slow pacing, dull conversations, and overall lack of energy. The ending warrants more time to think about it, but the underwhelming feeling will probably remain. I also found it very tough to connect with a single character, and if it weren't for the decent performances, this would have been a major letdown.

Human Factors carries an interesting premise and a storytelling structure that allows for meaningful underlying themes to be explored through isolated storylines. However, despite the remarkable cinematography from Klemens Hufnagl and Ronny Trocker's commitment to his screenplay, the philosophical, ambiguous atmosphere present during the entire runtime only hurts the already heavy pacing and bland interactions, ultimately transforming each character's arc into something hard to be emotionally invested in. The final act is as close as the viewers get to intriguing development, but the several narrative twists don't impact the overall story in a captivating nor surprising manner. Good performances from Sabine Timoteo and Mark Waschke save the film from a more significant disappointment.

Rating: C-

Sundance Film Fest #1: HUMAN FACTORS

Deliberately constructed family dysfunction drama about how solipsism and bias frame perspectives told through the lens of a mostly uneventful home invasion. Though confusing in structure at first due to the loose framework around time and perspective, the decision to withhold key conflicts until after we see how they impact quiet bystanders makes this more of a compelling mystery than the otherwise straightforward story would normally allow. We're also somewhat implicated in the subtle abuses, neglect, and gaslighting, not capturing their significance until we're given added perspective from a different character. Though it all works as a metaphor for cultural relations (racism) and the inherent presumptions we make based on what we see, what works here is the subtle domestic discord and how people wrapped up in their own petty squabbles can miss the unbearable trauma in those closest to them.