O Assassino do Calendário

(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.

Klara has an abusive marriage to Martin, but Martin holds something over her. She had mental problems, and was sent to a less than ideal place, so he holds it over her. If she disobeys, he will send her back. And he justifies his abuse in that she accepts it. She has a daughter Amelie that she is very protective of. Jules is working a help line. He used to be in the fire service handling calls, but had a terrible experience, so now is on a help line. His help is to stay with the person who calls for help until the danger has passed, such as when they are walking home at night. One night he gets a call from Klara, who has gotten a message from the Calendar Killer. Either she or her husband will be killed by midnight. For a good part of the movie, one sees how Jules is trying to help her. She knows her husband is very abusive, but she cannot leave him. And many critics simply do not understand what that is all about. Where the movie fails is towards the end, with the twist it takes. And that is unfortunate, as until then, a fairly compelling story, with lots of tension, is presented.

It's a pretty boring drama thriller in which an ostensible good samaritan is drawn into a domestic tragedy, but all is not what it seems. And all is not what it seems because of an accretion of confluences, contrivances and just plain dumb coincidences that strand the lackluster plot somewhere between incompetent and incoherent. I'm sure the people behind this dross thought they had something important to say about domestic violence. They didn't. Their feeble attempt to squeeze some profundity out of this trainwreck only makes it more insulting. And even putting the hammy sanctimony aside, this dumb diversion still fails as a thriller, mystery or drama.

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.