Revanche

"Whose fault is it if life doesn't go your way?"

2008 2h 1m DE

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 258

CrimeDramaRomanceThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Alex, an ex-con working as muscle in a Vienna brothel, dreams of escaping with his girlfriend Tamara, who also works there. Their attempt to break free sets off a chain of events that links their fate with a rural police officer and his troubled marriage. As their lives intersect, a quiet struggle unfolds between guilt, grief, and the desire for redemption.

“Whose fault is it if life doesn't go your way?”

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Cast

Johannes Krisch
Alex
Irina Potapenko
Tamara
Andreas Lust
Robert
Ursula Strauss
Susanne
Hanno Pöschl
Konecny
Johannes Thanheiser
Hausner
Linde Prelog
Robert's Mother
Michael-Joachim Heiss
Tagportier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Götz Spielmann
Writers: Götz Spielmann
Languages: German, Russian
Countries: Austria

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Götz Spielmann, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Karina Ressler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Johannes Krisch and Irina Potapenko and Andreas Lust carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Whose fault is it if life doesn't go your way?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1173745 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Götz Spielmann directs. Martin Gschlacht behind the camera. Karina Ressler cuts. Produced in Austria. Dialogue in German, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Russian.
3Directed by Götz Spielmann, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Karina Ressler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Johannes Krisch and Irina Potapenko and Andreas Lust carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Whose fault is it if life doesn't go your way?".
7IMDB entry: tt1173745 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "infidelity", "prostitute", "loss of loved one", "brothel".

The technical file

Cinematography: Martin Gschlacht
Editing: Karina Ressler
Production design: Maria Gruber
Costume design: Monika Buttinger
Makeup / hair: Susanne Weichesmiller
Sound: Alexander Koller
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Status: Released
Original language: DE
IMDB: Revanche (2008)

Also by

Götz Spielmann

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-31
★ 7/10
"Alex" (Johannes Krisch) is the sort of ex-con to be avoided at all costs! Almost every thing he touches turns to mince - and that proves especially true after he and girlfriend "Tamara" (Irina Potapenko) decide they have had enough of the brothel in which they both work (he doesn't sell himself, in case you were wondering) so he robs a bank and they hope to flee the country. Thing is, he'd only gone and left the getaway car - and her - in a no parking zone and attracted the attentions of a police man (Andreas Lust) whom they leave spreadeagled on the ground as they drive away. He can still aim, though - and a tragedy strikes that sets the tone for the remainder of the drama as he vacillates on thoughts of revenge. That opportunity emerges from a most unlikely source as it transpires that his dad is pals with the cop's wife "Susanne" (Ursala Strauss). You can sort of guess the rest as "Alex" turns his initial thoughts of vengeance into something altogether more romantically complex with plenty of sex thrown in for good measure. Though it's a violent story, there's precious little actual violence in the film - it's more a roller-coaster of emotions as the man deals with an unexpectedly profound grief and regret amidst a seedy and drug-riddled environment. There isn't a great deal of dialogue which adds quite a bit to the intensely characterised and visualised roles of "Alex" and "Susanne", and we have a few welcome interventions from Johannes Thanheiser's "Hausner" whose estranged relationship with his son ("Alex") also evolves quite poignantly. What you do notice after about half an hour is the music. There's isn't any. It's all natural sound, and that also gives the film some extra focus and puts way more emphasis on the quality of photography and the acting. It is too long - once you've seen a man chop a log, etc. - and could lose twenty minutes I reckon without impacting on the pace or the plot, but it's still a thriller with a difference, and is worth a watch.

Production companies