Michael (German)

Some films are just made to disturb audiences. But if you think hard, most of this films have some sort of truth or reality hidden behind them. We all had heard of a story where a man had help captive a girl in Australia for many many years. I guess, that was the clue that the director used in this film with a twisted angle to this tale. At the end of the film you are left bewildered and amused.

Michael, is your average mid-30s man. He works for an insurance firm. He is good at his job, is friendly with his co-workers, gets along well with his siblings, and has a tidy home in the suburbs. But Michael is also a sexual predator obsessed with young boys, and he hides a ten-year-old child, Wolfgang, in his cellar as his slave. He frequently tells Wolfgang that his parents don't want him back, and while he takes good care of the boy, he also forces the child to have sex with him whenever he wishes. Michael follows the title character's double life over the course of five months, as he presents the image of an ordinary man to the world during the day and gives free reign to his ugliest desires at night. The film focuses on the relationship between the two characters. At one point,Michael tries to kidnap another young boy so that he can give Wolfgang some company. It is heart wrenching to see that the young big has no choice whatsoever. He is forced to spend his time with Michael cleaning house, eating and being raped. Destiny is cruel and one night Michael gets killed while Wolfgang is still locked up in the cellar. It is not shown what happens with the boy but it i snot difficult to imagine.

The film is full of little details and memorable moments which linger and is closed by an unexpected ending which moves from tense to calm then back to tense. The film shows how easy it could be to manipulate a child into being a complicit captive, and exactly how many basements out there in fact have a missing child within? The acting is very understated. Each and every moment and cation is shown in great details. Thankfully there is no sexual explicit scene.

It is a decent attempt but like I mentioned, it is disturbing to watch. This film is definitely not a pleasure watch. (5.5/10)