Mercy (2012)

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Life is full of decisions we regret. So while the inciting incident in this case seems a bit stretched (considering who was involved and what the person did after it, held up against the job said character has and what that person is generally doing), it is only human. As is error of course and therefor this should be something you should be able to understand.The movie does not take the usual path in some cases (relationship between Vogels character and his wife and others who are interacting with those two) and you may feel a little but cheated in some situations. Overall the drama is not amplified or enhanced whatever the cost may be. You'll either find that a good strategy or weak. The location is a very big part of it all and it plays into the living and everything else in the movie. A drama that is more subtle that you might think, with great performances

German screenwriter, producer and director Matthias Glasner's seventh feature film which he co-produced and which was written by Danish screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson, premiered In competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Hammerfest, Norway and is a Germany-Norway co-production which was produced by German producer Andreas Born and Norwegian producer Kristine Knudsen. It tells the story about a married couple named Niels and Maria who has emigrated with their son named Markus from Kiel, Germany to Hammerfest, Norway where they have bought a farm by the coast and Niels has gotten a job at a gas plant, Maria as a nurse at a hospital and Markus has begun at a new school. Whilst they are all in the process of learning the Norwegian language, Niels and Maria works on their marriage and Markus befriends a boy in his class, but one night when Maria is on her way home from the hospital she hits someone with her car.Distinctly and subtly directed by European filmmaker Matthias Glasner who made a lasting impression with his fifth feature film "The Free Will" (2006) six years ago, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints, draws a tangible and engaging portrayal of a German man who has become friendly with a colleague named Linda, his spouse who sings in the local choir and listens attentively to her pregnant boss named Wenche and how their relationship suddenly bursts to life after they decide to keep a severe secret to themselves. While notable for its naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by Polish-German cinematographer Jacub Bejnarowich, production design by production designer Claus-Rudolf Amler and use of light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story where the prominent Arctic surroundings is a character in itself which effects the main characters and where the heart of the story revolves around a 16-year-old girl named Mette, depicts several incisive studies of character and contains a great score by Homesweethome.This conversational, modestly romantic, at times humorous, psychological and internal character piece which is set during a winter in a somewhat isolated community inhabited by considerate people in Northern Norway where a son gets himself into a similar situation as his parents at school and his mother has a consequential encounter with the Northern Light, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, use of music, moral meaningfulness, mysterious undertones, graceful and humane aura and the reverent and involving acting performances by German actor Jürgen Vogel, German actress Birgit Minichmayr, Norwegian actress Ane Dahl Torp, Norwegian actress and singer Iren Reppen and Norwegian actor Stig Henrik Hoff. An acutely reflective, sociological and virtuous drama and a long sought after and appreciated representation of Northern Norway which is not too often depicted in contemporary cinema.

I saw this film at the Berlinale film festival 2012, where it was part of the official Competition section. In the midwinter season with a continuous (night and day) 100% darkness in Hammerfest, a women runs over someone or something when driving home. Rather than leaving her car and going back to see whether someone needs help, she panics. At home she tells her husband, who returns to the spot in question to investigate. He finds no trace of what could have hit the car.It is not until the next day that they hear about a young girl who died due to a hit and run incident at the very same place, but no evidence was found to trace back who caused her fatal injury. From that moment on, events take their inevitable course and each subsequent step makes it more difficult to come forward. Moreover, a confession does not bring the girl back to life.This is where my synopsis stops. I want to prevent wasting an ingeniously constructed script, where all ingredients have their proper place. A handful of human elements and sub-plots are thrown in, though not making it overly complex to follow. An example of a human element is that we observe the woman when at work in a hospital, while terminally ill patients are taken care of. A smaller sub-plot is that we see the husband at work in a "gas factory", where he has a love affair with a colleague.A more important sub-plot (in light of the title) is that the son takes part in pestering an alleged gay schoolmate. It causes the latter to drop school prematurely. The son regrets his part in the bullying, and he visits the victim at home, in search for some form of "mercy". The confrontation does not work out as he would have wanted, however.Is it a drama or a thriller?? Or both?? On one hand it is a drama, because everyone tries to find the best way to cope with the situation, not necessarily the human or moral best thing to do, yet they struggle to find a way out. On the other hand it is also a thriller, because throughout the full 2 hours and 10 minutes you want to know what will happen next.The whole story spans from midwinter (100% darkness, night and day) to midsummer (the reverse), all of that located in Hammerfest, offering a colorful but harsh landscape. We knew of its existence but we never had the chance to see it with our own eyes. It forms a perfect location for the drama that we see developing. And there is the even-so perfect combination of human elements, a few sub-plots and a wonderful collection of actors. Finally, I sincerely hope that above text does not give away too much about the thriller elements, since the built-in surprises were also very important for my appreciation of this movie.

European (or at least German) cinema isn't exactly known for its genre blockbusters. Most of it are silly comedies or dead-serious dramas, often historical. These usually come across (to me) as pretentious and unauthentic, screaming to be taken seriously while mostly failing at visual storytelling.This movie seemed to fit right into that category. Surprisingly, it doesn't. While there were some moments in the movie where I thought it was a bit constructed, it felt very honest overall. It takes itself serious, but also its audience and medium. It is real cinema, gripping and atmospheric, but also not over-styled. Desipite it's substance matter it's not a talking-heads movie, but knows when to let the visuals and music talk for themselves.If you have seen the trailer, you probably already know a bit too much. On the other hand, the movie really isn't about any plot-twists or spectacular effects, and it thankfully avoids those and other clichés completely. It should be noted that it is rather slow-paced, and some plot-points are left open, but that's very likely all deliberate and very fitting. The only real complaint I have is the jarring Apple product placement. That was so out of place I wanted to throw up.One more thing: Note that the title is "Mercy". Some critics talk about forgiveness in relation to the story, but without spoiling anything, that is precisely NOT what it is about.