Michael (2011)

Drama, Thriller

Director: Markus Schleinzer
Writer: Markus Schleinzer
Starring: Michael Fuith, David Rauchenberger, Christine Kain, Ursula Strauss

"This is my knife, and this is my d*** - which one shall I stick into you?"

Not many films are like Markus Schleinzer's 2011 Michael. Most likely inspired by the famous Natascha Kampusch case, the film's subject is one of those that are not very easy to watch.

The movie's central character is a young man named Michael, who, by day, works for an insurance company at a local call center, and by night, turns into a special uncle/step father of sorts to a ten-year-old boy named Wolfgang, whom he keeps locked in a sound-proofed room in the basement of his suburban home. The two have an almost father-son-like relationship, they do jigsaw puzzles, watch television and do the dishes together, decorate a tree for Christmas, they even go to a zoo together.

The directorial debut of Austrian casting director and actor Markus Schleinzer, and the only film he's ever directed so far, Michael is an intelligent approach to an important issue that society needs to deal with in a grown up way, telling, without being explicit (although it implies it), the story of a pedophile and his victim, from the predator's point of view.

Plot summary from IMDb: Five months in the life of a pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.

Awards: 6 wins & 8 nominations.
Runtime: 96 min
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