Review: Berlin Syndrome



(imdb.com)

There seems to be a growing horror trend in Australia. Between the recently released Hounds of Love and the new film Berlin Syndrome, it looks like Australian horror has become swept up in a phase of brutally grounded kidnapping sagas. These two movies that look to be taking center stage share commonalities and procedural execution beginning with the chase, the capture and inevitably, the attempted escapes. Throughout the films there are also moments of disturbingly sexual tones and offbeat cracks of insanity from the captors.

Like Hounds of Love, Berlin Syndrome follows a young woman being held captive, this time by a crazed English teacher in Germany. Much of the movie is similar to Hounds of Love - featuring the steady, too-real-for-comfort plot points, but additionally draws on the one-on-one nature of Misery. It stars Teresa Palmer (Lights Out) as Australian tourist Clare, and Max Riemelt (Sense8), as the unhinged German, Andi. Both play their roles well and should be commended. Palmer in particular plays her role as a captive with such tenacious commitment that her predicament feels real.

Where Hounds of Love played heavily into a 60s aesthetic, Berlin Syndrome is far more straightforward. However, the somewhat sensationalized moments of this rendition feel far scarier than the realistic, but definitely dated atmosphere of Hounds. Berlin Syndrome is especially effective given its city setting. For in it, viewers would expect Clare's escape to be far easier than a suburban neighborhood or a desolate cabin, but for this film, nothing comes easy. Berlin Syndrome has plenty of thrilling moments to gape at, including an exciting, if predictable, ending. 

The film's biggest setback is a lack of memorability. While sufficient enough to overcome being bad or boring, Berlin Syndrome feels ultimately forgettable. It doesn't feature the nostalgia of Hounds of Love or the iconic imagery of a movie like Misery, and without much past two actors who faithfully adhere to their roles, there's nothing particularly surprising about this movie. While watchable and perfectly entertaining, the fact of the matter is that audiences could stand to not watch this film without much fear of missing out. Certainly better than bad, but no better than that, Berlin Syndrome is the type of movie that fades quickly from the mind.

While horror fans rejoice for new content, Berlin Syndrome won’t likely win over any new viewers. It's got quite the climactic final escape but without anything to keep it in the audience's head, the chance of it standing the test of time seems slim. This is a film that is definitely watchable, but definitely not committable. 6 out of 10.