Dard Divorce
Encyclopedia
Dard Divorce is a German independent
Horror film
directed by Olaf Ittenbach
and stars Christopher Kiesa, Daryl Jackson and Martina Ittenbach.
Nathalie's dog disappears under mysterious circumstances and she then discovers a piece of paper with the word "Dard" (the Persian
word for "to inflict pain") written in blood in her house. Panicked, she calls the police, who cannot help without more evidence of a crime. She decides to meet Tim and the children in Chinatown, but they do not show up.
In the evening, Tim suddenly appears at the house, apparently badly injured. Before dying, he tells Nathalie that the children have been abducted. She immediately informs the police, but when the detective, James Gates, arrives, the body is gone and the site has been cleaned up leaving no evidence that Nathalie is telling the truth. Later a police officer, Phil Warren arrives to question Nathalie. Warren is revealed to be corrupt and overpowers Nathalie. Graphically depicted in flashback
, he tells Nathalie that Tim had been hired by the Persian Mafioso
Maho and had burst in on a drug deal organised by Maho, killing those present before running off with a million dollars in cash and the cocaine
. Convinced that the drugs are hidden in the house, he tells her he has killed her son Jeremy with a chainsaw and will kill Elisabeth as well if he is not told where drugs and money are, Warren then tortures Nathalie in an attempt to get the information out of her, cutting off a finger and a toe with pruning shears
. Nathalie eventually manages to break free and kills Warren with a broken bottle.
Then a mysterious man by the name of Daniel appears who informs her he had been following Warren. He offers to help her, tends to her wounds and calms her down. His story is somewhat different (also depicted in flashback) - that Tim had chanced upon a drug deal that had gone bad and that he had got hold of the two cases entirely innocently before disappearing. However, it is then revealed that Daniel's intentions are less honourable than they appeared - he drugs Nathalie and disposes of Warren's body. Daniel explains how he tortured and killed Nathalie's loved ones before torturing Nathalie herself with a hammer. Although under the effects of a local anaesthesia
, she head-butts Daniel and is able to plunge a hypodermic into his eye before killing him with a knife.
Severely wounded, she clambers up the stairs when the phone begins to a ring. It is Detective Gates who is also corrupt. Gates sends her daughter Elisabeth in and points a sniper rifle
at her head, ordering Nathalie to reveal the location of the money and drugs and to not move or he will shoot her daughter. Remembering their dogs disappearance, Nathalie suspects it has something to do with where the money is buried so Nathalie and Elisabeth attempt to come up with the answer through a riddle posed in one of Tim's old children's songs which reveals the location to them. As Nathalie bends to pick up a pencil however, Gates shoots Elisabeth in the shoulder. Nathalie picks up Daniel's pistol and shoots Gates as he enters the house.
Nathalie runs alone to the cornfield and meets Tim there, who has their son. The true story is revealed - Gates had employed Tim as an informer
and was supposed to give him Moha. As Gates was one of the most corrupt cops in the precinct, Tim was ordered to kill Maha and bring him the drugs and money. Tim slipped some E 605
into the coffee at the diner killing the mafiosi and then shoots the other party when they arrive to make the deal. Nathalie was his last obstacle but, as Tim is about to shoot her, he is shot by his daughter Elisabeth from behind. Nathalie and the children begin a new life.
with his wife Martina to take a number of shots throughout the country in San Francisco, Los Angeles
, Price Canyon and the Nevada Desert. Another brief exterior shot was filmed at Ridgecrest
. Although the film was a German production, the film was made in English and later dubbed into German to achieve a wider market.
in Spain
and was released on 11 April 2009 of DVD in Germany
. Due the obscurity of the word Dard in the title the English version was retitled Dark Divorce.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Olaf Ittenbach
Olaf Ittenbach
Olaf Ittenbach is a German horror movie director, actor and special effects artist.-Biography:Ittenbach was born in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany...
and stars Christopher Kiesa, Daryl Jackson and Martina Ittenbach.
Plot
Nathalie Stein, an embittered and exhausted young woman, is currently going through a bitter divorce from her husband Tim. A qualified attorney, she is doing her best to ensure that her two children, Jeremy and Elisabeth, never see their father again. Tim arrives to pick the children up for what is believed to be one last time. He fails to return with the children.Nathalie's dog disappears under mysterious circumstances and she then discovers a piece of paper with the word "Dard" (the Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
word for "to inflict pain") written in blood in her house. Panicked, she calls the police, who cannot help without more evidence of a crime. She decides to meet Tim and the children in Chinatown, but they do not show up.
In the evening, Tim suddenly appears at the house, apparently badly injured. Before dying, he tells Nathalie that the children have been abducted. She immediately informs the police, but when the detective, James Gates, arrives, the body is gone and the site has been cleaned up leaving no evidence that Nathalie is telling the truth. Later a police officer, Phil Warren arrives to question Nathalie. Warren is revealed to be corrupt and overpowers Nathalie. Graphically depicted in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, he tells Nathalie that Tim had been hired by the Persian Mafioso
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
Maho and had burst in on a drug deal organised by Maho, killing those present before running off with a million dollars in cash and the cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Convinced that the drugs are hidden in the house, he tells her he has killed her son Jeremy with a chainsaw and will kill Elisabeth as well if he is not told where drugs and money are, Warren then tortures Nathalie in an attempt to get the information out of her, cutting off a finger and a toe with pruning shears
Pruning shears
Pruning shears, also called hand pruners , or secateurs are a type of scissors for use with plants. They are strong enough to prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimetres thick...
. Nathalie eventually manages to break free and kills Warren with a broken bottle.
Then a mysterious man by the name of Daniel appears who informs her he had been following Warren. He offers to help her, tends to her wounds and calms her down. His story is somewhat different (also depicted in flashback) - that Tim had chanced upon a drug deal that had gone bad and that he had got hold of the two cases entirely innocently before disappearing. However, it is then revealed that Daniel's intentions are less honourable than they appeared - he drugs Nathalie and disposes of Warren's body. Daniel explains how he tortured and killed Nathalie's loved ones before torturing Nathalie herself with a hammer. Although under the effects of a local anaesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
, she head-butts Daniel and is able to plunge a hypodermic into his eye before killing him with a knife.
Severely wounded, she clambers up the stairs when the phone begins to a ring. It is Detective Gates who is also corrupt. Gates sends her daughter Elisabeth in and points a sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
at her head, ordering Nathalie to reveal the location of the money and drugs and to not move or he will shoot her daughter. Remembering their dogs disappearance, Nathalie suspects it has something to do with where the money is buried so Nathalie and Elisabeth attempt to come up with the answer through a riddle posed in one of Tim's old children's songs which reveals the location to them. As Nathalie bends to pick up a pencil however, Gates shoots Elisabeth in the shoulder. Nathalie picks up Daniel's pistol and shoots Gates as he enters the house.
Nathalie runs alone to the cornfield and meets Tim there, who has their son. The true story is revealed - Gates had employed Tim as an informer
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
and was supposed to give him Moha. As Gates was one of the most corrupt cops in the precinct, Tim was ordered to kill Maha and bring him the drugs and money. Tim slipped some E 605
Parathion
Parathion, also called parathion-ethyl or diethyl parathion, is an organophosphate compound. It is a potent insecticide and acaricide. It was originally developed by IG Farben in the 1940s. It is highly toxic to non-target organisms, including humans. Its use is banned or restricted in many...
into the coffee at the diner killing the mafiosi and then shoots the other party when they arrive to make the deal. Nathalie was his last obstacle but, as Tim is about to shoot her, he is shot by his daughter Elisabeth from behind. Nathalie and the children begin a new life.
Cast
- Martina Ittenbach as Nathalie Stein
- Daryl Jackson as Daniel
- Jaymes Butler as Police officer Phil Warren
- Barrett Jones as Tim
- Kamary Phillips as Detective James Gates
- Gideon Jackson as Jeremy
- Henora Jackson as Elisabeth
- Kami Esfahani as Moha
- Christopher Kriesa as Lawyer Jake
- Torsten Mühlbach as Lover
- Olaf IttenbachOlaf IttenbachOlaf Ittenbach is a German horror movie director, actor and special effects artist.-Biography:Ittenbach was born in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany...
as Guy on Street - Martin Faltermeier as Mafia Gangster
- Stefan Altenberg as Mafia Gangster
- Thomas Waldner as Mafia Gangster
- Cooper Ritchie as Cook
- Siegmund Dallmayer as Cook
- Tobias Muth as Cook
- Peter Uebel as Cook
- Claudia Schwind as Cop in House
- Peter Dubiel as Cop #1
- Rainer Metz as Cop #2
- Peter Eherer as Creature
- Gregor Olbrys as Creature
- Thomas Reitmair as Barkeeper
- Jackie as Dog / Bonny
Production
Due to the limited budget, Olaf Ittenbach used his own house as the filming location and only filmed at weekends. Other shots were taken at a local restaurant and a farm. Principal photography commenced on 28 September 2006 and lasted until 7 July 2007. Ittenbach travelled to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his wife Martina to take a number of shots throughout the country in San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Price Canyon and the Nevada Desert. Another brief exterior shot was filmed at Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest may refer to:*The high point of a ridgePlace namesIn the United States:* Ridgecrest, California* Ridgecrest, Florida* Ridgecrest, Louisiana* Ridgecrest, North Carolina...
. Although the film was a German production, the film was made in English and later dubbed into German to achieve a wider market.
Release
The film's première was at on 1 November 2009 in Première at San Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and was released on 11 April 2009 of DVD in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Due the obscurity of the word Dard in the title the English version was retitled Dark Divorce.