[wpdevart_youtube]Y8tpKbrN9Uo[/wpdevart_youtube]
****
Dir: Cate Shortland (15, 116 mins)
A captivity thriller delivered with intelligence by Australian director Shortland, who also made the excellent Somersault. This has Teresa Palmer playing an Australian photojournalist mooching around Berlin. She falls under the spell of friendly local teacher Max Riemalt, their relationship blossoms and a night of passion ensues. Then matters take a major turn for the worse. The night after the consummation of their love affair, Palmer wakes up to find that she has been locked in his apartment, and her phone is now missing its SIM card. All his gallantry is now replaced with toxic abuse. The machinations between the central duo are not obvious, however: an initial sensuality gives way to more brutality, but this is an arthouse thriller with depth rather than torture porn. The tension comes from the characters, well played by Palmer and Riemalt, with director Shortland adding depth, nuance and an element of dark fairy tale to what could have been no more than a B-movie.
Opens June 19