Must-see thriller keeps you guessing
An electrifying performance by Diane Kruger lights up the German movie In the Fade, screening from Thursday March 8 at Luna Leederville and Luna Outdoor. Set in Hamburg, this fast-moving thriller skilfully depicts some of the torment caused by recent neo-Nazi terrorism in multicultural Germany.
Kruger plays Katja Sekerci, a bright, attractive German woman whose husband Nuri (Numan Akar) does time in prison for drug trafficking. Fast-forward a few years and Nuri is rehabilitated. The couple have a son Rocco (Rafael Santana) and appear to be doing well.
Nuri is working as an interpreter and tax adviser for needy immigrants in the heart of Hamburg.
Young Rocco is a happy-go-lucky kid – full of energy and curiosity about life.
However, a shocking terrorist bomb attack on Nuri’s office while he is looking after Rocco soon changes that. Both are killed instantly and Katja – who had left the office only minutes before the explosion – is completely devastated.
Her life spirals out of control and she starts taking drugs and drinking heavily to try and block out the pain.
Fortunately, conscientious lawyer and family friend Danilo (wonderfully played by Denis Moschitto), steps in to help her cope with her grief, and attempt to bring the terrorists to justice.
Soon, a young neo-Nazi couple are arrested for the crime, and the second, courtroom phase, of the film commences. In one of the most gripping parts of the film, the two accused murderers are defended by a tall, evil-looking lawyer (Johannes Krisch).
He puts Katja through hell in his prosecution, including, amongst other things, accusing her of being on drugs at the time of the attack and therefore not reliable enough to give testimony.
The case hinges on whether or not Katja was clearheaded enough to recognise one of the neo-Nazis as the owner of the bike containing the nail bomb that killed the young family.
Of course, there is plenty of evidence pointing to the couple’s guilt, with traces of explosive found in the accused’s garage, and their fingerprints all over the fertiliser bags used as primary ingredient for the bomb.
However, there remains an element of doubt about who may have manufactured the bomb.
In the final chapter, Katja goes to Greece to investigate an alibi given for the accused neo-Nazi couple by a Greek hotel owner.
While there, things slide into chaos as Katja discovers there is much more to this Greek connection than she first realised and the film climaxes with a shocking and violent ending.
Directed by Fatih Akin, In the Fade won this year’s Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, with Kruger also winning the Cannes Best Actress Award in 2017.
The film leaves the viewer somewhat shocked but also moved by its authenticity and realism.
By Mike Peeters
Mike Peeters Media