Michael (2011 film)
Encyclopedia
Michael is a 2011 Austrian drama film
directed by Markus Schleinzer which resembles the famous Natascha Kampusch
case from the offenders viewpoint. It premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
.
Sometimes he takes the boy on a pleasure trip outside the town, where people do not know Michael. On one occasional he goes on a skying trip with friends for multiple days, leaving extra food for Wolfgang, who has water, a toilet, simple cooking facilities and a TV in his room.
Since Wolfgang is lonely, Michael promises that another child will arrive, so that he has company. Together they install a double bed in advance. Michael attemps to abduct another boy by luring him away (suggesting how he might have abducted Wolfgang), but the boy is called back by his father, who scolds him for walking off with a stranger. Michael tells Wolfgang that he did not succeed in providing him a friend to keep him company. One day Wolfgang throws boiling water into Michael's face, severely hurting his eyes, but Wolfgang does not succeed in escaping. Michael drives off (perhaps to a doctor) but dies in an accident. After the funeral Michael's mother is about to discover the boy when the film ends.
was used to ensure Rauchenberger did not have to participate in a scene where Michael jokingly but inappropriately re-enacts a movie scene which involves exposing his penis to Wolfgang.
's Happiness has a movie portrayed pedophilia in such uncomfortable detail", veteran Mike D'Angelo
twittered "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE IN AUSTRIA. SERIOUSLY. Once again, very well made in the approved festival style, but I understand now exactly how detractors of Funny Games felt. Michael (Schleinzer): 32 (out of 100). Evil is banal. The end. No, wait, let me sadistically fuck with you for a few minutes. Okay, *now* the end".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Markus Schleinzer which resembles the famous Natascha Kampusch
Natascha Kampusch
Natascha Maria Kampusch is an Austrian television hostess mostly known for her abduction at the age of 10 on 2 March 1998. Kampusch was held in a secret cellar by her kidnapper Wolfgang Priklopil for more than eight years, until she escaped on 23 August 2006...
case from the offenders viewpoint. It premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
.
Plot
Michael secretly keeps 10-year-old boy Wolfgang locked in a room in his soundproof basement, although for the outside world he seems average, having a job in an insurance office and participating in social activities. The film shows Michael washing his genitals after leaving Wolfgang's room, thus more or less confirming to the viewer that he has sex with him. Apart from that they have somewhat a father-son relationship, with Michael sometimes being strict, sometimes caring, and sometimes playful. In the evenings, after Michael locks the door and closes the blinds, Wolfgang is allowed into the living room for dinner and to watch TV. When in hospital after an accident, Michael is in a hurry to be released and return to Wolfgang. When Wolfgang gets sick Michael digs a grave in the woods, as a preparation in case Wolfgang dies. However, he recovers. The boy writes a letter to his parents, to be mailed by Michael, but Michael does not send it and lies to Wolfgang saying his parents don’t want him back.Sometimes he takes the boy on a pleasure trip outside the town, where people do not know Michael. On one occasional he goes on a skying trip with friends for multiple days, leaving extra food for Wolfgang, who has water, a toilet, simple cooking facilities and a TV in his room.
Since Wolfgang is lonely, Michael promises that another child will arrive, so that he has company. Together they install a double bed in advance. Michael attemps to abduct another boy by luring him away (suggesting how he might have abducted Wolfgang), but the boy is called back by his father, who scolds him for walking off with a stranger. Michael tells Wolfgang that he did not succeed in providing him a friend to keep him company. One day Wolfgang throws boiling water into Michael's face, severely hurting his eyes, but Wolfgang does not succeed in escaping. Michael drives off (perhaps to a doctor) but dies in an accident. After the funeral Michael's mother is about to discover the boy when the film ends.
Cast
- Michael Fuith as Michael
- David Rauchenberger as Wolfgang
- Christine Kain as Mother
- Ursula StraussUrsula StraussUrsula Strauss is an Austrian actress. She is best known for her role as inspector Angelika Schnell in the television series Schnell ermittelt.-Selected filmography:-External links:* – Official website...
as Sister - Victor Tremmel as Brother-in-law
Production
For one scene an invisible split screenSplit screen
Split screen can refer to:*a motion picture technique; see split screen *a computer graphics and video game technique; see split screen...
was used to ensure Rauchenberger did not have to participate in a scene where Michael jokingly but inappropriately re-enacts a movie scene which involves exposing his penis to Wolfgang.
Reception
The film was met with mixed critic ratings at Cannes. While Indiewire's Eric Kohn wrote about "a triumph of uneasy cinema: Not since Todd SolondzTodd Solondz
Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...
's Happiness has a movie portrayed pedophilia in such uncomfortable detail", veteran Mike D'Angelo
Mike D'Angelo
Mike D'Angelo is the chief film critic for Esquire. He regularly contributes film reviews to Las Vegas Weekly and Nerve, and maintains a personal website, The Man Who Viewed Too Much....
twittered "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE IN AUSTRIA. SERIOUSLY. Once again, very well made in the approved festival style, but I understand now exactly how detractors of Funny Games felt. Michael (Schleinzer): 32 (out of 100). Evil is banal. The end. No, wait, let me sadistically fuck with you for a few minutes. Okay, *now* the end".