Lurid, improbable, and highly entertaining, Phoenix, from director Christian Petzold, plays like a rarefied version of Face/Off. Set against the backdrop of Nazi-infested Berlin during WWII, the story centers on a female Holocaust survivor and former cabaret singer, who becomes horribly disfigured after being shot in the face. After reconstructive facial surgery leaves her looking nothing like her previous self, she sets off on a course to track down her husband, who may have been responsible for selling her out to the Gestapo. Nina Hoss gives a very effective and sympathetic lead performance, inviting the viewer into this crazy story and keeping you invested despite the inherently contrived nature of the piece; it’s all VERY cinematic, and extremely confident, so as a result, you just go with it. The movie, at times, felt like Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book, and while I liked that film a tad more than Phoenix, there’s much to admire with this fancy looking and exceedingly engrossing thriller. There’s a slight element of light Cronenberg-esque body horror during the first act, with a more restrained sensibility of course, while also mixing traditional historical touches and the war-time setting. The cinematography by Hans Fromm is lush and very stylish, with a complimentary musical score from Stefan Will. The script is as tight as the editing, with zero wasted scenes and all 100 minutes used very well in an effort to tell a zippy, crafty story. The film’s final scene might be one of the single best movie moments of the year in general, as so much is said with zero back and forth dialogue.
Podcasting Them Softly 