The Maus

This movie is billed under horror but is definitely not what most would consider conventional horror. It's more like the story of a couple places in horrific situations. That being said, I have to agree with the other reviews saying that it is largely 90min of watching people walk around. The premise is about a couple who are lost in the Bosnian woods, when they encounter a pair of suspicious men who offer to lead them to safety. The girlfriend comes off as a bobble head with anxiety issues, constantly afraid of everything and everyone and arguing with her boyfriend at each and every decision. Also, how does a 100lb girl survive a landline explosion with only a flesh wound? There's an unseen entity that seems to follow them around while they traverse land mines (wtf were they doing in the woods to begin with?) The whole thing felt like a bad European nightmare version of Deliverance, only without any decent actors.

I'm not sure which was worse, the movie or reading the reviews praising the movie. It was terrible. Great premise made bad by a plot way too slow to develop, confusing plot motivators, and a total WTF? ending.

I see a lot of disappointed reviewers here that gave this film 1 or 2 stars. While it isn't a masterpiece I think the film does not deserve such a low rating.

I believe this may have to do with expectations: The Maus is listed under "horror" so people may expect either jump scares or cathartic violence and this film doesn't really offer either. It does offer a very personal nightmare ride that is rooted in the genocide of Bosnian Muslims perpetrated during the Yugoslavian civil war in the 1990s. If that is not something you know or care about then this may not be a movie for you. In particular, since it expects you to have a basic understanding of the conflict and does not do much explaining. Sadly, this probably is a factor that limits the film's audience to mainly Europeans.

The film is also not very verbose in spelling out everything that happens or explaining everything you see or hear. Even though gory visuals may arguably have been appropriate for the subject matter this film goes for subtlety and uses sound over visuals - leaving a lot to imagination. To me this was a good thing but it is also a potential limiting factor.

Contrary to other reviewers, I actually thought the writing of plot and characters was pretty plausible and relatable. It carries across very well the notion that the main character has endured things that her "innocent" foreign boyfriend cannot begin to comprehend and this is why she relates differently to the events in the story.

Overall, I found The Maus is not horror in the conventional sense but still a grim and unsettling experience. It is not without flaws and a few unnecessary, drawn out sequences but definitely a film worth giving a chance and, moreover, one that will make you think.

Firstly, let me start with some positives. I thought the theme of the film was interesting, to do with land mines and the Bosnian War, and presumably atrocities and genocidal acts. I have to say before watching it I did not know much about what I was about to watch. I have to say I was mislead to believe it was Horror, but in actual fact it feels more like a Dark Thriller with themes of Horror and War i.e. there was clearly a Deliverance vibe going on at the start, and aside from the creepy looking Guardian Angel that would be about where the horror side of things ends.

The filming style was fun for the first few minutes, but an hour and a half later of revolving cameras, darkness, and behind the head shots it all seemed a bit ridiculous and you wonder how a supposed 2 million euro budget (according to Wikipedia) was used up on just 4 actors, a forest and a great deal of what I can only describe as pointless videography.

Without trying to slate it too much, I found 'Alex' to be fairly unbearable, as an overly dramatic naive young chap who was an insufferable wannabe man-to-the-rescue but simply lacked any strength both physically and of character; Extremely annoying in every way possible. I think 'Selma' was at least interesting and played her role well though unfortunately this leads me on to my next comment about The Story, which overall I can once again only describe as being fairly 'pointless' or insubstantial. There were some interesting psychological moments where it felt like the dread was closing in, but then once the cat was out of the bag there wasn't much left to say. I knew from the moment I saw the car 'stuck' in the road in the very first scene that this movie was not exactly going to win any Oscars. I really am surprised about the budget here and can only presume the directors paid themselves substantial salaries through some questionable laundering function - But seriously, overall it wasn't the worst thing that's ever happened to me, and certainly illuminating in some regards. I think a 5/10 is generous, I'd say more like a 4.5 but I suppose I've rounded up.

One more comment: I saw that 'Maus' according to Wikipedia is an 80s/early 90s graphic novel about a Holocaust survivor, so I suppose that's what would have inspired the name of this movie.

Thank you for reading.

This is one of those movies where you ask yourself what the heck is going on throughout the entire film. Why are in the forest in the first place? What's with the fog? What's with the creatures? What's with that terroristic ending? I mean I don't know what was worse about the movie. It has really slow pacing and characters you find hard to like except for the main girl since she's easy on the eyes. Her boyfriend is a complete wimp that has her do the dirty work he should be doing to protect her. The film really isn't all that likeable it's just odd. It tries to be too poetic and just comes off as weird.