'Revanche' review

Irina Potapenko (Credit: Janus Films)

Ukrainian prostitute Tamara (Irina Potapenko) strikes up a relationship with ex-con Alex (Johannes Krisch), an assistant at the Vienna brothel where she's currently employed. Alex's plan to rob a bank brings the lovers into contact with rural policeman Robert (Andreas Lust), whose wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss) recently suffered a miscarriage. Before the film is even halfway over one of the characters is dead, leading to a major shift in the story. It's best to avoid further details, but it's fair to say the title is a French word meaning the act of revenge.

The buzz: A semi-surprising nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film award at this year's Oscars, "Revanche" did not win, but it never hurts to have "Oscar nominee" as an endorsement when you're trying to get attention in America for a foreign film. With a release that coincides with the start of summer movie season, "Revanche" hopes to appeal to audiences looking for something much different than Hollywood flash.

The verdict: Director Götz Spielmann is interested in silence, nature, destiny and the quiet ways people go about their daily lives. Not the usual recipe for a gripping thriller, and "Revanche" will indeed try the patience of viewers not open or accustomed to slow-paced filmmaking. Spielmann crafts a beguiling story nonetheless, bolstered by solid performances and striking cinematography. To its credit, the film is an unusual choice for an Oscar nominee—the opening stretch is marked by a blunt eroticism that resurfaces to some degree in later segments—but perhaps a little too emotionally guarded for its own good.

Did you know? Spielmann's previous film, "Antares," was submitted for Oscar consideration but missed out on a nomination. Possibly because its sexuality was even more explicit than what's depicted in "Revanche."

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