In the Fade (2017)

Having nothing else to lose, a woman seeks revenge after the bomb attack that killed her husband and son.

With the camera mounted on the shoulder, Fatih Akin fully explores the act of “The Family” and hugely invests in Katja’s bereavement in a shocking political, documentary-style crime/drama that will cut your breath short. Diane Kruger’s powerhouse performance will bring tears to your eyes and most definitely adds to the narrative’s realism.

“The Trial” is immense. The disgusting defence lawyer, the remorseless couple, the prosecutor’s speech, and Katja’s reactions throughout it compose an excellent court thriller that will, even temporarily, question your beliefs regarding taking justice into your own hands. If that doesn’t bring out “The Punisher” in you, I don’t know what will.

“The Sea” needs to be divided into two segments: “The investigation” is the thrilling part as no one knows what she has in mind, and also, no one knows what will happen if she gets caught. That keeps the suspense building up. The second part, “The Revenge”, is quite shallow. It feels like Akin is unsure how he wants to proceed or what he wants to say. He doesn’t know what kind of ending he wants the film to have, making it a “semi-revenge” film. “The Sea”, as a total, makes an enormous contrast to “The Trial”, where utterances matter the most. That means that actions should matter here the most, and unfortunately, this is not the case.

To sum it up, In the Fade is a must-watch, and no matter where you are in the world, you can translate the film’s hate to what is happening in your neck of the woods. I hope it gives you some perspective. Among others, Golden Globe Winner (2018) Best Motion Picture: Foreign Language and Cannes Film Festival Winner: Best Actress- Diane Kruger.

Now… a little background information. Makris, the Greek guy who appears in court, supports the once-upon-a-time political party called “Golden Dawn.” For those who don’t know, that Neo-Nazi party and its supporters had always been the disgrace of Greece but also humanity. The party has been taken down, and its members have been sent to jail, where the rest of us hope that they rot there forever. As for the actor who plays Makris, Yannis Economides is one of the most prolific Greek / Greek-Cypriot directors of his time and one that I personally highly admire. Johannes Krisch, the defence lawyer, is nothing like his character in real life, so he also deserves a round of applause for his thespian skills.

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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!

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