36/32
Twelve years after his escape, career criminal Trojan returns to Berlin. He is about to steal a valuable painting in the city. But the meticulously planned heist soon gets out of hand… Im Schatten (2010) follows. During the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, viewers could see how the professional criminal Trojan (Misel MATICEVIC) from IM SCHATTEN (2010) had to leave the capital for an indefinite period. The Trojan still works in a more analog fashion: old-fashioned crimes like stealing tangible items like watches, money, and paintings. No connection to the mafia or clan structure, a lone fighter, only occasionally and out of necessity in a team! When a coup in the Ruhr does not go as planned, Trojan must return to Berlin to reconnect with old contacts (Marie-Lou SELLEM). And indeed: Together with three friends (Tim SEYFI, Marie LEUENBERGER, Bilge BINGÜL) Trojan manages to steal a valuable painting by Caspar David FRIEDRICH. But then the trouble with the mysterious client Viktor (Alexander FEHLING) really begins… At BERLINALE 2010, Braunschweig-born director Thomas ARSLAN’s IM SCHATTEN hit as a long-awaited genre bomb. An exciting German-made genre film, it was shot using Berlin School film tools. Extremely exciting, with sparse dialogue and explosive violent moments! ARSLAN follows it up with VERBRANNTE ERDE seemingly seamlessly. Gangster films are still a rarity in German cinema. The images of cinematographer Reinhold VORSCHNEIDER (also IM SCHATTEN) tell the story of the people who live in a shadow version of Germany with cold precision. Dark places, in the shadow of nearby monuments, and yet far from the perception of the police and the general population. Berlin acts as a teammate and opponent of the film’s protagonists. The understated music of the Norwegian composer Ola FLOTTUM (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, 2021) contributes significantly to this tense atmosphere. It shows capital that you know and yet don’t. Many viewers will be able to recognize this urban development with all its roads from their own surroundings. Scary places very close to us: scorched earth in the shadows! Misel MATICEVIC (IN THE FACE OF CRIME / BABYLON BERLIN) is again very convincing in the role of Trojan, whom we will probably see again (Thomas ARSLAN is planning a kind of Trojan trilogy). GERMAN FILM AWARD nominee Marie Lou SELLEM (nominated for KNOCHEN UND NAMEN / BONES AND NAMES in 2024) is here as the ice-cold mediator. But GERMAN FILM AWARD winner Alexander FEHLING (2019 winner for DAS ENDE DER WAHRHEIT / THE END OF THE TRUTH) is frighteningly good and really doesn’t have to hide from classic villains like Klaus KINSKI and Michael FASSBENDER. Thomas ARSLAN no. With the third film of his Trojan trilogy, I don’t want to take up as much time as between 2010 and 2024. It remains exciting!