REVANCHE
aka REVENGE

Year: 2008
USA: Janus Films
UK: Artificial Eye
Cast: Johannes Krisch, Ursula Strauss, Andreas Lust, Irina Potapenko, Hannes Thanheiser, Hanno Pöschl
Director: Götz Spielmann
Country: Austria
Language: German (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 122 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong sex and sex references
USA Release Date: 1 May 2009 (Limited Release - New York)
UK Release Date: 30 April 2010 (Limited Release)

Synopsis

A nature scene. Late summer. A small lake in the woods. No people. Silence.

Not far away, stands a recently built house where a couple, Robert (Andreas Lust), a policeman, and Susanne (Ursula Strauss) live, going about their lives like so many other ordinary people.

Meanwhile in Vienna money rules and though most people have jobs they barely manage to make ends meet. Alex (Johannes Krisch) and Tamara (Irina Potapenko) are lovers in a secret romance, as she's a prostitute from Ukraine; while he's the boss' errand boy. Employees aren't allowed to get romantically involved so they want to escape and start a new life together, but are too short of money.

Alex plans a heist on a small rural bank and takes Tamara along at her insistence against his better judgement. But the plan goes awry when a policeman, sees it going down and fires at the getaway car killing Tamara. Consumed with grief and wanting revenge, Alex stalks the policeman who is full of remorse at the killing.

When Alex meets Susanne, the policeman's wife,the lives of all these people will change as a result of Tamara's death - more radically than they suspect.

Official Selection - Berlin Film Festival 2008 and London Film Festival 2008. Winner - FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film - Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009