We Monster (Sebastian Ko, 2015): Germany

Reviewed by Markus Linecker. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2016.

How far would you go to protect your own child? This is the question that the film We Monster ponders a divorced couple decides about how to deal with their teenage daughter’s crime. Brought to us by German filmmaker Sebastian Ko, this drama is set in a contemporary small town in Germany. As a native German speaker, I am familiar with German filmmaking style, and was interested to see how it would play out in this tense topic.

Paul (played by Mehdi Nebbou) and Christine (played by Ulrike C. Tscharre) are a divorced couple whose separation has caused their teenage daughter Sarah (Janina Fautz) to be thrown off-kilter. On her way to camp, she gets into an argument with her best friend Charlie (Marie Bendig), with the result that she kills Charlie. Paul and Christine are torn between reporting the crime or protecting their daughter. In the end, they decide to cover up the crime. Oddly enough, it is the resulting fear and guilt that binds the family back together.  However, when Charlie’s abusive father shows up looking for his daughter, the events take a unforeseen turn.

As a German native speaker and an admirer of German cinema style, I went into the film with certain expectations. Even though the film was a decent drama/thriller, it didn’t really have the specific feel that usually a film from Germany often has. Ko could have set the plot in Los Angeles and it would have had the same effect. One can see that Ko was influenced by  American filmmaking, and sometimes the story seems predictable and generic.

This is not to say the film lacked highlights. Most of the cast, for example, is outstanding and really carries the film, especially Janina Fautz who is a regular on many different TV shows. She embodies Sarah on the one hand as a sweet loving daughter, but on the other in startling contrast as unpredictable and almost creepy.

Also Ulrike C. Tscharre is very intriguing as Christine. She is drawn between two men and changes from the vulnerable wife to a unpredictable woman. Tscharre delivers a very authentic and believable performance. Unfortunately, Mehdi Nebbou, who usually owns every role he plays, seemes not really engaged in the role of Paul. It almost felt as if he wasn’t sure what direction his character should go.

In general, the film is a typical thriller with not a lot of surprises; however, Andreas Köhler camera work along with Tscharre and Fautz’s performances elevate the film to a higher level. I left at the end wishing the story could have more depth, and more twists and turns to catch the viewer off-guard, as German movies so often do.