Nada de Mau Pode Acontecer

Very realistic ,dark and gritty film .I could see this happening in real life!I enjoyed it although it is quite a harrowing film .

I was shocked to discover this is the debut feature for Katrin Gebbe. 'Nothing Bad Can Happen' is such a sure footed and skillful piece I was expecting a much more experienced director to walk onto stage when I saw the film at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Like any good film should, it drew larger themes from very simple scenarios and characters. The probing, but compassionate investigation of faith, trust and the insidious nature of violence kept me riveted. Though the main characters life would be hard for most people to relate to their own experience, his gentleness and his drive to be included in the world makes him quite universal.

Be warned, though the violence in the film is shown quite discretely, the psychological aspect of it is very confronting. That being said I wouldn't want to put anyone off seeing it, there isn't any kind of gratuitous reveling in any of the violence and all necessary for the plot.

Gebbe has masterfully constructed a film that illustrates how the horrors of the world stem from the banal jealousies and power plays that we all participate in. Her sensitivity to the dynamics of exploitation and how we treat the vulnerable in society is moving without resorting to sentiment or condescension.

I highly recommend this film and wait with anticipation with what Gebbe will come up with next.

I hate when movies say "based on true events" with no further reference. It sometimes comes off as a marketing ploy. Unless and until the movie provides the inspiration material, it's nothing more than pure fiction and nothing else. Now this completely voids the necessity to put that it's based on real events in the first place.

I'm not even going to write a whole long review about this movie because I actually never want to think about it ever again. I've seen some messed up, vile and downright abhorrent films in my 40 years on this Earth, but this is the first time a movie has ever made me sick to my stomach. The entire last 30 minutes had my stomach in such a vicious knot, I actually considered turning the film off, and I really wish I would have.

Movies like Martyrs, Inside, and the like are difficult films to get through, but their over the top violence keeps them grounded. This film portrays the type of monsters that live among regular people, who wear their clothes and play their games. THIS is what true horror is; showing the vile nature of the degenerates that live in our neighborhoods.

I will never EVER watch this movie again, and anyone who is considering it, don't. It's a magnificently made film that no one should ever see. It will literally make you look at humanity differently.

People like this exist and live among us. God help us all.

It's rare to find a film which manages to disturb and horrify without ever being exploitative or using cheap shock tactics like you'd see in the August Underground movies but Nothing Bad Can Happen manages to do exactly that. I came away from the film feeling drained and disturbed in a way that I haven't felt since Pascal Laugier's Martyrs which should certainly ring alarm bells if you can't handle upsetting subject matters in your films. Although Nothing Bad Can Happen is undoubtedly a superb piece of filmmaking, it's something I wouldn't recommend lightly due to explicit sequences involving abuse of all kinds and cruelty to animals.

The film follows the true events surrounding a young self-proclaimed 'Jesus freak' called Tore who happens to have some form of autism which makes him think and act very differently to others. Tore places all of his faith in Jesus Christ and is naively taken in by a truly evil family who take advantage of his absurdly good nature. It's a fascinating meditation on evil in society and the dangers of religion. Despite being a truly gruelling watch, Nothing Bad Can Happen never gratuitously relishes in the violence and is always focused on delivering a powerful message. The fact that these events are true makes the film all the more relevant and important.

First-time director Katrin Gebbe shows astonishing confidence behind the camera. Despite the ugly subject matter, the images always try to find beauty and light through the bleakness. There's a hypnotic sense of realism to the whole film which reminded me of Justin Kurzel's equally uncompromising Snowtown. The acting from the unknown cast is similarly impressive, particularly breakout star Julius Feldmeier in the lead who manages to make Tore an engaging and sympathetic main character. Sascha Alexander Gersak also feels toe-curlingly real as the malevolent patriarch determined to break Tore's Holy spirit.

You could easily mistake Nothing Bad Can Happen as being the lost film in Lars Von Trier's 'Golden Hearts Trilogy' which correspondingly follows mentally-challenged protagonists as they battle through life's brutal hardships. It's just as tough to watch as seeing Emily Watson getting stoned by feral kids or Bjork dancing through life despite desperately trying to raise enough money for her son's operation. It'll be too much for some people and it does get worse as the film progresses but the reason I watch films is to be moved and provoked by some sort of emotional response. Nothing Bad Can Happen does this in spade loads.

This is a haunting piece of work which will bury itself under your skin and stay there long after the credits roll. It's a torturous watch at times but it carries an important message which is extremely relevant to society today. The pacing is very slow at the beginning but it's also immersive and character-focused meaning that it's easy to engage with. There was not one moment where I was bored or distracted in its 110 minute running time. It's a heart-breaking watch which will shake you to your core. A stunning debut but proceed with caution.