The Wall
Screening Dates:
Mon 9 September 8:30pm
Wed 11 September 6:15pm
In German with English Subtitles
Director: Julian Pölsler
Starring: Martina Gedeck
Adapted from Marlen Haushofer’s reflective novel, writer-director Pölsler’s film begins with an unnamed woman (Gedeck, The Lives Of Others, The Baader Meinhof Complex) compiling diary entries of which she is clearly unsure.
Lengthy flashbacks reveal that her immediate surroundings are a remote mountain cabin that she visited some years earlier with friends who never returned from a shopping trip. While out looking for them, she’s confronted by an invisible wall that appears to surround the area. Thus she becomes a prisoner, albeit in an idyllic setting with an adoring canine companion, later joined by two cats and a sustenance-giving cow. She gradually accepts her predicament, until loneliness, anger and finally madness set in.
Breathtaking scenery, a steady pace and the tantalising prospect of salvation maintain our fascination until the unexpected ending.
**** “IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE A FILM THIS MINIMAL – PART SCI-FI PARADE, PART FEMINIST ROBINSON CRUSOE – COULD CONTAIN SO MUCH” The Guardian
Critic: Stephanie Merry
Date: 2013-08-23
Publication: Washington Post
Quote: Polsler's film is quietly deliberate without ever feeling slow, thanks to a few handy assets at his disposal.
Critic: John Hartl
Date: 2013-08-15
Publication: Seattle Times
Quote: It's a shudder-inducing original.
Critic: Trevor Johnston
Date: 2013-07-03
Publication: Time Out
Quote: This mesmerising, austere and contemplative film provides a rarefied yet utterly immersive viewing experience.
Critic: Gary Goldstein
Date: 2013-06-12
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Quote: A remarkably involving film, especially given its brave, self-imposed limitations.
Critic: Farran Smith Nehme
Date: 2013-05-31
Publication: New York Post
Quote: "The Wall" winds up as a captivating fable, an end-times scenario that's more about the survival of the spirit than the body.
Critic: Neil Genzlinger
Date: 2013-05-30
Publication: New York Times
Quote: The photography is often lovely, and Ms. Gedeck convincingly portrays a woman who as the ordeal stretches on month after month seems to be gradually losing her individuality and blending into the landscape.
Critic: Boyd van Hoeij
Date: 2013-05-29
Publication: Variety
Quote: The Wall reps another showcase for the mesmerizing face of thesp Martina Gedeck.
Critic: Eric Hynes
Date: 2013-05-28
Publication: Time Out New York
Quote: Though its blanketed voiceover narration can be too on-the-nose-it's a metaphor, we get it-the film packs a psychic punch, thanks to Gedeck's spectrally wearied face.
Critic: Alan Scherstuhl
Date: 2013-05-28
Publication: Village Voice
Quote: Gedeck narrates in full paragraphs, explaining every feeling, telling us about moments it might have been nice to see dramatized.
Critic: Neil Young
Date: 2012-02-21
Publication: Hollywood Reporter
Quote: Ambitious adaptation of a fable-like feminist novel provides an impressive one-woman showcase for lead Martina Gedeck.
