H-Volke

One of my favorite horror movies. It has two subjects underlying it, and it manages to deal with them without playing to the gallery. First of all, it deals with sexuality and the coming of age. The combination between the first period and her turning into a werewolf is a great idea showing disturbing feelings about one's own body. The second subject is treated as well: exclusion, and the fear of being alone. Both sisters have spent a great deal of their time together, and, as both are outsiders, the older sister protects the younger one. When Ginger is bitten, her sister slowly comes to grip with the alterations Ginger's body is going through, but the process of separating from the beloved sister is difficult. At the end, we see Ginger (as a werewolf)lying to die on the floor, with her sister crying on her chest. These final shots are maybe the greatest of the whole movie: they show the beginning of adulthood for Ginger's sister. Great movie, great acting performances, keeping into account the small budget spent on this movie. Worth a look.

This movie narrates the story of two brothers, one of which has the Down Syndrome, the other is preparing for an important examination for a piano contest (or something like that). Like "Le huitieme jour" ( a good French movie dealing with the same subject), we see both brothers in different situations. The most impressive scene happens in local dance hall where Jakob (the brother with Down syndrome) starts to dance frenetically and wants a blond girl to do the same. She feels embarrassed, and, being rejected, we see Jakob crying on the floor. This is one of the most intense scenes of the whole film: everybody is in a good mood, but Jakob is excluded. His own interpretation of "fun", shown in an outburst of feelings and his desire for physical contact is seen an embarrassment. A great scene. The title "Mein Bruder, der Idiot"does not only refer to the mentally retarded brother, but although to the non-handicapped: he has to learn that Jakob has a different view of the world he is living in, and that it is sometimes impossible to make it match with the surrounding and "hostile" world. Fortunately, the movie does not try to hang out a moralist point of view of how discriminating the "normal" world can be to handicapped people. Its undertone is full of understanding for the problems both characters have in getting their lives arranged. Worth a look.