Michael (2011)

Directed by: Markus Schleinzer | 96 minutes | drama | Actors: Michael Fuith, Christine Kain, David Rauchenberger, Gisella Salcher, Ursula Strauss, Victor Tremmel

Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Jigsaw… All movie monsters that have had a lot of impact on moviegoers. They are dwarfed by Michael from Markus Schleinzer’s debut film of the same name. The taciturn Austrian Michael is an inconspicuous man. He lives in a terraced house, has a good job at an insurance company, greets his colleagues kindly and keeps a boy prisoner in his basement. Michael is a pedophile.

‘Michael’ is based on the story of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for years by a pedophile. She was able to escape in an unguarded moment. When her captor found out, he committed suicide. Director Schleinzer – in the past he was casting director for Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl – took inspiration from the case and that resulted in a hair-raising film. Horrifying in the sense of basic. The aforementioned movie creeps are so grotesque and recognisably evil that you should never be afraid to bump into them. Michael does. You could run into him every day.

What makes the pedophile so creepy is that he’s so damn normal. Michael (Michael Fuith) functions well in society, looks unobtrusive and is polite. His home situation is anything but average. He has locked up the young Wolfgang (David Rauchenberger) in the basement. The kid has nowhere to go when Michael is at work, but in the evenings he is allowed to watch television and on weekends there is sometimes even a trip to a nature park. You soon notice that the relationship between the two is anything but healthy. But only the viewer knows that and not the outside world. ‘Michael’ sheds light on pedophilia from the perpetrator’s side.

‘Michael’ is a shocking film that has already caused controversy at the Cannes Film Festival. Half of the audience appreciated Schleinzer’s guts, while the rest treated the director to booing. The reason for this division probably lies in the debutant’s approach. ‘Michael’ does not portray the pedophile as a monster, but as a human being. Schleinzer does not judge, but observes. The focus is not on his atrocities, but on his functioning in society. It is shocking that this man, who has committed a disgusting deed on his conscience, is doing so well in society. How can this guy be so…well…normal? Or at least keep up the appearance that he is?

It does not zoom in on the abuse that takes place, although Schleinzer does give hints. You see – and feel – that the relationship between child and adult is not good, but fortunately the director does not show it. That would have made this already nasty film unwatchable. Schleinzer uses the narrative style of Michael Haneke. Long shots in which apparently nothing happens are alternated with slow passages in which the viewer becomes a voyeur. You ‘penetrate’ into the lives of the main characters. So you see Michael and Wolfgang walking. An innocent looking scene, but Michael’s hand resting around the boy’s neck proves otherwise. It’s those kinds of details that make ‘Michael’ so chilling. A scene in which Michael tells a ‘joke’ to his prisoner is also terrifying. Fuit portrays the title character as a nondescript, somewhat dull man who does everything he can to not stand out. He goes skiing with colleagues for a weekend, has sex with a woman and treats his colleagues when he has been promoted. There is no joy in life in his eyes

Perhaps the best performance comes from the young actor Rauchenberger. The boy portrays Wolfgang as a damaged child. He plays with toys, draws a lot and writes letters to his parents (which are never mailed by his kidnapper). It is the moments in which he says in a very cold tone that he no longer has any meaning in life that makes the most impression. An attempt to escape is also chilling, because the kid is no match for the strength of his captor. It’s an unequal battle. The acting is unadorned and therefore so realistic. Sometimes it seems like you are watching a documentary.

‘Michael’ hits like a punch to the stomach. While you’re on the floor gasping for breath, your attacker continues to slowly circle around you. His piercing gaze is constantly on you. When you seem to catch your breath, you are helped up and then mercilessly brought down again. This film is brutal, confrontational and not good for your image of humanity. It is a film that makes you think. What is a monster and how do you recognize it? In movies you can recognize him by his claw glove, ice hockey maker or chainsaw, but in real life it’s a different story…