Two boys jump train en route from one concentration camp to another. Or so we're lead to believe.
I offer that proviso because we get a harrowing escape through the woods that appears to be as linear as it is harrowing. The lengthy tracking shot goes on for so long the actors need to bend over and use their arms and hands to continue to propel themselves forward, like a lower primate would. BTW, this was for decades my recurring nightmare.
At this point if you're not hooked you better check your pulse.
However, once the boys have put enough distance between themselves and the gunfire that is whizzing past their heads, they slow their pace and one of the main characters starts to hallucinate, likely from intense hunger.
From that point on, we don't know what's real and what's Memorex. But it's so exhilirating that I was 57 minutes into it before I realized the plot, such as it is, wasn't going anywhere. Then I noticed that the film was only 67 minutes long.
We get an unlikely resolution to the chase that appears to be a return to linearity. But then Directir Nemec subverts even that before we're done.
By the end, I wasn't sure whether any of it was real. It's ultimately a one-act escape film with hallucinations, plus a prologue. Memorable for its artistry, but not what I'd call ground-breaking storytelling. The synopsis of the novel upon which this film is based sounds a lot more interesting, to be honest.
I offer that proviso because we get a harrowing escape through the woods that appears to be as linear as it is harrowing. The lengthy tracking shot goes on for so long the actors need to bend over and use their arms and hands to continue to propel themselves forward, like a lower primate would. BTW, this was for decades my recurring nightmare.
At this point if you're not hooked you better check your pulse.
However, once the boys have put enough distance between themselves and the gunfire that is whizzing past their heads, they slow their pace and one of the main characters starts to hallucinate, likely from intense hunger.
From that point on, we don't know what's real and what's Memorex. But it's so exhilirating that I was 57 minutes into it before I realized the plot, such as it is, wasn't going anywhere. Then I noticed that the film was only 67 minutes long.
We get an unlikely resolution to the chase that appears to be a return to linearity. But then Directir Nemec subverts even that before we're done.
By the end, I wasn't sure whether any of it was real. It's ultimately a one-act escape film with hallucinations, plus a prologue. Memorable for its artistry, but not what I'd call ground-breaking storytelling. The synopsis of the novel upon which this film is based sounds a lot more interesting, to be honest.