Je suis Karl is kind of difficult to watch without understanding the context and intention behind it.
Whenever films shy away from layered antagonists in favor of portraying them as responsible for all evil within it, you need to pause and evaluate whether that is realistic.
The inciting incident didn't sit right at first. Is it boring and cowardly to have the terror attack be false flag instead of a real islamist terror attack? Were the filmmakers scared the audience would in part side with the fascists? Probably, but does it matter in the end? Has it not all in all been Western, neo-imperialist influence that has destabilized the home countries of these individuals to the point of no return? Have we not had enough false flag attacks of neo-nazis to know their capabilities?
Similarly, the avantgarde aesthetics of the depicted group are not as of yet a reality among most right wing extremist groups, but they are finding their niche within modern counter-culture movements. When seen as more of a futuristic fable, than a contemporary depiction, this gives the ideas in the film much more credence.
The same can't be said about the screenplay, though. No dialogue cliche is missed, no opportunity to confuse the time-line isn't taken and while Luna Wedler is incredible, Milan Peschel cannot sell the right emotions and stale metaphor for his trauma.
All in all, while the negatives do take away from the experience, this is a required watch for the future generation of political activists.
Je suis Karl is kind of difficult to watch without understanding the context and intention behind it.
Whenever films shy away from layered antagonists in favor of portraying them as responsible for all evil within it, you need to pause and evaluate whether that is realistic.
The inciting incident didn't sit right at first. Is it boring and cowardly to have the terror attack be false flag instead of a real islamist terror attack? Were the filmmakers scared the audience would in part side with the fascists? Probably, but does it matter in the end? Has it not all in all been Western, neo-imperialist influence that has destabilized the home countries of these individuals to the point of no return? Have we not had enough false flag attacks of neo-nazis to know their capabilities?
Similarly, the avantgarde aesthetics of the depicted group are not as of yet a reality among most right wing extremist groups, but they are finding their niche within modern counter-culture movements. When seen as more of a futuristic fable, than a contemporary depiction, this gives the ideas in the film much more credence.
The same can't be said about the screenplay, though. No dialogue cliche is missed, no opportunity to confuse the time-line isn't taken and while Luna Wedler is incredible, Milan Peschel cannot sell the right emotions and stale metaphor for his trauma.
All in all, while the negatives do take away from the experience, this is a required watch for the future generation of political activists.
