David O'ConnellGRAVITY @ The Festival of German Films
April 19th 2010 07:02
When a mild-mannered bank clerk, Frederik (Fabian Hinrichs), witnesses the suicide of a despondent client to whom he’s just passed on some very grave news, he begins to see his monotonous, unfulfilling work in a new light. Coinciding with this traumatic event is a chance encounter with a man from his past. Former rock band crony Vince (Jurgen Vogel) suddenly appears at his side in a department store to intercede in Frederik’s proposed impulsive theft of a CD.
Frederik, the main attraction of Maximilian Erlenwein's Schwerkraft (Gravity) (2009), soon gets into a sticky situation when his credit card slips under the door of the superior he’s attempting to steal from. With the fresh knowledge of Vince’s recent colourful past – which included a stint behind bars – foremost in his mind, he decides to call on a favour to retrieve the card, thus extricating himself from a potentially embarrassing jam-up. The hardened Vince, with his humourless exterior, becomes emblematic of a life lived a little closer to the margins of acceptable society than Frederik is used to and he becomes drawn into a web of dangerous enticements.
Using inside knowledge gleaned from bank files he lays out a course of robberies for he and Vince to undertake. Their union inspires an adrenaline-fuelled misadventure, but is Frederik’s new 'vocation' just a cleansing of the stilted, browbeaten persona, so long manacled to a desk? Or a one-way ticket to self-destruction?
Meanwhile he’s been keeping an eye on another prominent figure from his past, the pretty Nadine (Nora von Waldstattan), who he’s long had a crush on. The film's opening scene implies continued surveillance that may now be bordering on stalking. Eventually he arranges an ‘accidental’ meeting with her in an attempt to ignite reciprocal feelings.
Gravity exploits the idea that a crucial incident or moment in a person’s life can spark a new outlook and course of action - one which empowers them through recklessness, shedding inhibitions for the thrill of living in the moment. An even more volatile cocktail is created if stirrings of nostalgia likewise enter the equation, with Frederik’s long-standing connections to Vince and Nadine tying the whole scenario in a neat little bow of contrived circumstances.
The major shortcoming of Erlenwein’s screenplay is in its disavowal of any realistic dramatic perspective that we can ultimately relate to. There are countless moments that emphasise this, including a childish but humourous rant by Frederik at a board meeting when he’s questioned about dodgy figures in his department. The tone of this directorial debut is decidedly uneven, combining dark social comedy with crime drama without veering wholeheartedly into either realm. The result is an entertaining but slightly unsatisfying film that’s carried a long way by its very strong performances, especially the two male leads. Erlenwein doesn’t reveal any outstanding technique behind the camera though I didn't mind the consistently drab, muted colour scheme.
There’s nothing startling about Gravity though it managed to hold my attention throughout. Frederik is a reasonably sympathetic character even if he does go off the rails, and von Waldstattan is predictably gorgeous but vacuous and handed a severely underwritten role. The two final scenes between the pair border on ludicrous it must be said. Overall the lack of any dazzling originality in screenplay sadly brings this one back to the pack. It is worth a look but the Festival has far superior offerings ahead I’m sure.
Frederik (Fabian Hinrichs) with old mate Vince (Jurgen Vogel)
Watch the trailer here.
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