Jason KingPunish Me (Verfolgt) $13-
May 3rd 2009 04:44
Category: No Category
Punish Me (Verfolgt) $13-
It is not often you get to watch a German black and white film noir sadomasachism film with a reveresed Lolita story. This is what a friend of mine suggested I get a copy of because I would like it. The eroticism he suggested would be something a gay man would find hot especially after I had found the lead actor Kostja Ullmann spellbinding in Summer Storm.
Jan is a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent placed under the watchful eye of Elsa Seifert, a stern, driven, and uncompromising 49-year-old probation officer. Elsa cares for her charges, but tolerates no stepping out of line. But now, as she approaches 50, cracks begin to appear in Elsa's professionalism. As her grown daughter prepares to leave home, and her marriage becomes more and more strained, Elsa longs for the intensity of experiencing something outside of her routine, something outside the norm.
Young, obsessed, Jan eagerly fills this void, offering to sexually subjugate himself to her. And Elsa enters willingly into this risky venture, desiring the forbidden, but knowing it cannot end well.
Winner of the Golden Leopard prize at the 2006 Locarno Film Festival, PUNISH ME features engaging performances from Kostja Ullmann, one of the standout, lead actors in the theatrical release SUMMER STORM and from Maren Kroymann, a distinguished lesbian actress from Germany. To me Kostja Ullmann is the German equivalent of Gael García Bernal and I look froward to his development and the possiblity of more commercial international roles coming his way.
Most people would read that description of the film disturbing and something to be shunned. To be honest I was expecting a pornographic film but instead got a literal film noir with the whole package. It was acted superbly and Kostja (at 25 now) is playing some very hard and diverse roles - his two best are sexually centred characters. He has such a sexual intensity and his chemistry with Maren Kroymann is so believable and tender that it feels wrong in a sense to want to see their tragically destined relationship succeed.
Director Angelina Maccarone (Fremde Haut) does not dissect this relationship. There are no flashbacks or confessionals that examine the motivations or even the feelings of these characters. Maccarone presents her story in a direct, non exploitative way and asks us to watch as the events play out. We are allowed to draw our own conclusions, and we learn about these people through their actions and sometimes contradictory reactions. There is nudity of Kostja and in no way is it sickening - it is odd to watch him wanting to be punished by a 50yr old woman he wants physically. From the opening scene when he strokes a bruise lovingly you know that Jan has desires beyond the norm. The story has nothing to do with voyerism, the movie is made so sensitive and gentle it nearly hurts.
This film was shot on such a shoestring budget and this was the success of the film - it is all centred on the acting and this would make a beautiful stage play.
Due to the subject matter this film will not be for everyone but to me it was amazing and I recommend all movie and arthouse movie lovers to seriously consider this excellent example of German S&M Film Noir. Worth $13- and on DVD
Be warned - I think the marketing for the film was trying to show it as a gay lust film and the trailer does have nudity and some spanking - but it is not porn and I hope you can capture the beauty of the film in the trailer. I have made this a Mature Content and Non Family Friendly article in case people are offended.
It is not often you get to watch a German black and white film noir sadomasachism film with a reveresed Lolita story. This is what a friend of mine suggested I get a copy of because I would like it. The eroticism he suggested would be something a gay man would find hot especially after I had found the lead actor Kostja Ullmann spellbinding in Summer Storm.
Jan is a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent placed under the watchful eye of Elsa Seifert, a stern, driven, and uncompromising 49-year-old probation officer. Elsa cares for her charges, but tolerates no stepping out of line. But now, as she approaches 50, cracks begin to appear in Elsa's professionalism. As her grown daughter prepares to leave home, and her marriage becomes more and more strained, Elsa longs for the intensity of experiencing something outside of her routine, something outside the norm.
Young, obsessed, Jan eagerly fills this void, offering to sexually subjugate himself to her. And Elsa enters willingly into this risky venture, desiring the forbidden, but knowing it cannot end well.
Winner of the Golden Leopard prize at the 2006 Locarno Film Festival, PUNISH ME features engaging performances from Kostja Ullmann, one of the standout, lead actors in the theatrical release SUMMER STORM and from Maren Kroymann, a distinguished lesbian actress from Germany. To me Kostja Ullmann is the German equivalent of Gael García Bernal and I look froward to his development and the possiblity of more commercial international roles coming his way.
Most people would read that description of the film disturbing and something to be shunned. To be honest I was expecting a pornographic film but instead got a literal film noir with the whole package. It was acted superbly and Kostja (at 25 now) is playing some very hard and diverse roles - his two best are sexually centred characters. He has such a sexual intensity and his chemistry with Maren Kroymann is so believable and tender that it feels wrong in a sense to want to see their tragically destined relationship succeed.
Director Angelina Maccarone (Fremde Haut) does not dissect this relationship. There are no flashbacks or confessionals that examine the motivations or even the feelings of these characters. Maccarone presents her story in a direct, non exploitative way and asks us to watch as the events play out. We are allowed to draw our own conclusions, and we learn about these people through their actions and sometimes contradictory reactions. There is nudity of Kostja and in no way is it sickening - it is odd to watch him wanting to be punished by a 50yr old woman he wants physically. From the opening scene when he strokes a bruise lovingly you know that Jan has desires beyond the norm. The story has nothing to do with voyerism, the movie is made so sensitive and gentle it nearly hurts.
This film was shot on such a shoestring budget and this was the success of the film - it is all centred on the acting and this would make a beautiful stage play.
Due to the subject matter this film will not be for everyone but to me it was amazing and I recommend all movie and arthouse movie lovers to seriously consider this excellent example of German S&M Film Noir. Worth $13- and on DVD
Be warned - I think the marketing for the film was trying to show it as a gay lust film and the trailer does have nudity and some spanking - but it is not porn and I hope you can capture the beauty of the film in the trailer. I have made this a Mature Content and Non Family Friendly article in case people are offended.
| 29 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
what a great intro!
and what a nice piece of eye candy . . .
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness