Antibodies (2005)

Thanks for the memories!

Strong and Moving!

One of my all time favorites.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

"Antibodies" tips it hand far too early and closes with an inexplicable third act, but succeeds in creating an unsettling atmosphere with a palpable sense of terror throughout. Slick and sadistic, this German serial killer thriller delivers some chills respectively, but it's not nearly as clever or as compelling as it thinks it is. Serial killer Gabriel Engels (Andre Hennicke) is captured while fleeing from his apartment, because he is the prime suspect in the killing a young girl several years earlier. Small-town cop Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) has been investigating the 18-month-old unsolved murder, and may now have his big break in the case. Michael must go to the big city to interrogate the suspect, in the hopes that he'll get a confession. His decision unexpectedly pays dividends, and details slowly begin to surface. Möhring's deeply conflicted performance anchors the movie, as the confession from Engels and his mind games slowly push Michael back towards his own hometown. But soon, as Martens comes under the influence of Engels, he finds himself in a dark place and questions his own faith, as well as his entire existence. The plot twists and mind games that should shock and surprise are transparent and obvious, while director Christian Alvart tips his hand too early in a film where the run time clocks in at two plus hours. The third act of "Antibodies" shifts its primary focus to Michael and his son, and it creates one of the strangest biblical allusions I've ever seen. The story shifts from the profile of a serial killer to that of a man's existential identity crisis, and then to his redemption, when he didn't seem to deserve it in the first place. Desperately attempting to create the illusion of something profound, it backfires and comes across as absolutely absurd. In comparison to other films in the serial killer genre, this one hovers somewhere just above middle of the pack at best.

German screenwriter and director Christian Alvart's second feature film which he wrote, premiered at the 4th Tribeca Film Festival in 2005, was shot on locations in Berlin and Lower Saxony in north-western Germany and is a German production which was produced by German producers Boris Schönfelder and Theo Bal, and co-produced by Christian Alvart and German producer Rainer Kölmer. It tells the story about farmer and police officer Michael Martens who lives in a catholic village in the German countryside called Herzbach with his wife Rosa, their daughter Sara and their 13-year-old son Christan. The police officer and citizens in the small community have been marked by an unsolved serial murder case for the last six years and is still troubled by suspicions and doubts, but then a special unit headed by chief commissioner Seiler arrests a suspect named Gabriel Engel in Berlin. A long-time manhunt is possibly over and the inhabitants of Herzbach can put away some of their worries, but then all of a sudden a young girl named Lucia Fiedler vanishes and Michael Martens has to confront the killer who has been haunting him for years. Precisely and engagingly directed by German filmmaker Christian Alvart, this harrowing and unsettling fictional tale draws a riveting portrayal of a police officer and family man who while investigating a murder is led astray and drawn into the utterly insane though calculating mind of paedophile serial killer. While notable for it's colorful milieu depictions, stellar production design by German production designer and art director Christian M. Goldbeck and the fine cinematography by German cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski, editing by film editor Philipp Stahl and use of sound, this character-driven and plot-driven horror story which has a fresh approach to the serial killer genre depicts a mindful study of character. This finely tuned independent film about a policeman's afflicting investigation is impelled and reinforced by the poignant atmosphere which is emphasized by it's religious undertones and dark themes, cogent narrative structure and the commendable acting performances by German actors Wotan Wilte Möhring, André Hennicke and Heinz Hoening. A consistently intriguing psychological thriller which gained, among other awards, the award for Best Actor Wotan Wilte Möhring at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival in 2005.

Storywise "Antikörper" isn't the most original movie around. It has been called the German "Silence of the Lambs" for some good reasons and the movie also has different elements from other similar type of successful movies in it, such as for instance Davind Fincher's "Se7en".It's a rather well directed movie, with a good style but yet the execution of it isn't what it could had been. This again has some to do with the fact that the movie isn't always being original enough of its own. Also the storytelling is a bit lacking at times, which perhaps can be blamed on it that the movie at times tries to be overly artistic and deep with its intentions. It doesn't always make the story believable enough. Those are the downsides of "Antikörper", an otherwise good movie to watch, from young German director Christian Alvart. For a €1,900,000 budget movie this one is a real great accomplishment and it's rather low budget can be seen nowhere back in the movie. Yet the movie didn't do very well at the box office at its native country for some reason.It's a well cast movie with actors that already had plenty of experience under their belts. Wotan Wilke Möhring and André Hennicke play the most important characters of the movie and they do this well. They are part of the reason why the movie overall has a realistic and gritty look and feeling over it. This movie is not just a German Krimi, it's an overall effective thriller that is perhaps not always being original but it's all done good nevertheless.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

The opening moments of this movie are extremely well done, and the moment of grace at the ending was surprisingly well- earned . Surprising because what comes in the middle is at once unformed, lumpy, and all too obvious- albeit with some very fine acting. It was said elsewhere by some commentators that fine performances were given by the actors who played the serial killer and the senior detective who takes a liking to the rural cop because he sees the good in him: this is true. The emotional bond between the senior detective and the younger country cop he called 'Farmer" was well portrayed, indeed.Unfortunately, the fine beginning and ending and the fine performances- oh, and also the scenes set in the small village, which were atmospheric- bookended a story that was sloppily told. The payoff at the end comes in spite of, and not because of the bulk of the film. But that payoff was, for me, affecting. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping for all the "right" (this is after all a film which commits itself to a belief in right and wrong) things to happen. Definitely a movie worth watching, and dare I hope that it can be improved upon (probably not, OK) when it is remade...