Antibodies

Antibodies
Germany, 2005

Writer/Director Christian Alvert brings us one of the most brilliantly executed opening sequences in recent years, as police raid the home of serial killer Gabriel Engel in a gripping and suspenseful fashion, capturing him only after he's thrown himself through a window to escape. From then, the film focuses on small town policeman Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) who suspects that a murder in his town that is attributed to Engel, may not in fact be linked to him, and he's convinced that an interview with the suspect is the only way to know for sure.

Truly great films focusing on serial killers can be rare, and all too many times can be merely versions of previous films. Antibodies definitely on takes the Manhunter/Silence Of The Lambs mould, and even makes a point of referencing Hannibal Lecter by name, so there's definitely no getting away from that comparison. However, I found Antibodies a very gripping, well acted film that was quite original in it's own way.

The film's undoubted victory is the serial killer Gabriel Engel, played by André Hennicke (Downfall) who absolutely steals the show. I'll go out on a limb and say that Hennicke portrays one of the most convincing and downright unsettling serial killers on film. He's equal parts chilling and absolutely captivating when he's on screen, and every bit as disturbing while incarcerated as he is in the beginning of the film. There's a very deep character there who is unrepentant, self-hating, and as the film goes on we get verbal insights into his childhood, his reasoning and it all comes together to depict possibly one of the most realistically evil people in cinematic history.

There's an almost equal depth with the character of Michael Martens, the small town police officer, who's a good christian, family man, and after speaking with Engel, seems to come out of his shell somewhat, has a bit of a crisis of faith, and experiments somewhat. The chemistry between the two main characters is great to watch, as Martens is very shaken even long after he's spoken to Engel, and his mannerisms and actions change noticeably. Both actors are nothing short of terrific.

I don't think the film is as clear cut as it first seems though, and really left me thinking long and hard about it afterwards. I think there's a few ways you can interpret the story, depending on how you read the ending of the film, but I really don't want to spoil the film so I won't get into it. However, the greatest fault as I see it is the ending, so all I'll say is that I know what the director was going for, but I felt it could have been done a lot better. Aside from that, I could have done without the verbal reference to Hannibal Lecter, considering the film has a lot in common with Manhunter and Silence of the Lambs, the reference just forces it too much.

Overall though, I found it was an utterly gripping film, the story was very compelling and the preformances were fantastic. It is perhaps a bit derivitative, but I really enjoyed it despite the flaws.