"Wege in die Nacht" or "Paths in the Night" is a German 90-minute, black-and-white film from almost 20 years ago. With he exception of lead actor Hilmar Thate, this is probably still the most known works for everybody involved in crucial positions, such as director, writer (never wrote another film) and supporting actors. This was the second time I think that I watched this film, or maybe even the third, and it still holds up on rewatch. A man shortly before retirement becomes unemployed and struggles with how to live his life. He meets a young man and woman who feel the man gives them a sense of belonging and, as a consequence, the trio become some sort of vigilante group that beats of people in the subway at night if they do something offensive. Good Samaritans? Not so much. A random encounter with another man tells us a bit about the protagonist's past.
This film scored a great deal of awards recognition, including German Film Awards for supporting actress Henriette Heinze and the cinematography. I am baffled by Cornelia Schmaus' nomination here. Yes she was good, but I do not think she was lead, especially not in the face of Thate not receiving a lead actor nomination. Sometimes they just want to be too edgy I guess. Anyway, it is a nicely atmospheric watch and the subway train scenes are certainly the highlight. I personally preferred the scenes with Thate's character and the 2 young guns over Thate's character and his wife, but that is just personal preference. The ending is shocking and yet not really that surprising. I think everybody involved with this movie did a pretty good job and I definitely enjoyed the watch. Go see it, this is particularly interesting to Berlin residents because of the setting. Thumbs up from me.
This film scored a great deal of awards recognition, including German Film Awards for supporting actress Henriette Heinze and the cinematography. I am baffled by Cornelia Schmaus' nomination here. Yes she was good, but I do not think she was lead, especially not in the face of Thate not receiving a lead actor nomination. Sometimes they just want to be too edgy I guess. Anyway, it is a nicely atmospheric watch and the subway train scenes are certainly the highlight. I personally preferred the scenes with Thate's character and the 2 young guns over Thate's character and his wife, but that is just personal preference. The ending is shocking and yet not really that surprising. I think everybody involved with this movie did a pretty good job and I definitely enjoyed the watch. Go see it, this is particularly interesting to Berlin residents because of the setting. Thumbs up from me.