Vienna, 1920. The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. World War I made millions of dead and broke the souls of those who managed to survive the enemy steel and lead. Perhaps too hurriedly, the capital wants to leave the horror of death and the trenches behind, but hundreds of veterans are roaming its streets. Peter, a former police inspector, has lost all confidence in mankind. The horror he has had to face in the trenches destroyed any hope in redemption. The brutal murder of his brother-in-arms has obliged him to tackle blood and violence once again. Little by little, all his comrades are murdered brutally and unexpectedly, as if the killer meant to tell him something. With the help of Doctor Körner, he tries to get to the bottom of the crimes but the murderer keeps on killing undisturbed. Academy Award winner for The Counterfeiters, Stefan Ruzowitzky with Hinterland creates a world like we’ve never seen before. Giving life to the set designs of expressionist cinema as in a digital nightmare, as if the views and the labyrinths of the streets were x-rays of the souls of those traumatized by the apocalypse endured at war, the director has created an unprecedented visual and sensory experience. A feeling of alienation shrouds the narrative, while the gaze is enthralled by the intoxicating beauty of the slanted architectures and field depths. Starring Matthias Schweighöfer and Liv Lisa Fries, the film is a unique visual experience in contemporary cinema. Rejecting the naturalistic use of digital graphics, applying it to an era and an aesthetic that were imagined as the opposite, a unique contrast is created. Hinterland announces itself from the get-go as one of the most innovative films of the upcoming film season. Discovering it on its world premiere in Piazza Grande will be memorable.
Giona A. Nazzaro