Revanche is a striking psychological drama that centers on the despair of two young lovers who cannot escape their destiny. Desperately in love, Tamara (Irina Potapenko), a Ukrainian prostitute, and Alex (Johannes Krisch), her boss's errand boy, must not reveal their secret relationship, as employees are not permitted to be romantically involved. In order to escape their red-light-district lives and fulfill their passions, Alex and Tamara devise a plan to rob a bank in a remote village. But the robbery goes wrong, and a police officer (Andreas Lust) pursues their getaway car, resulting in tragedy and bloodshed. This calamity leads Alex to take refuge at his grandfather's desolate farm at the edge of the woods. What follows is a harrowing chain of events that radically alters the lives of everyone involved in the botched robbery. The film's visual plan boasts precision, a distinct rhythm and style both to its characters and to the depiction of nature. There is a piercing clarity to Revanche, which allows Spielmann to draw his audience through the narrative, into difficult moral terrain and, finally, toward larger existential questions. Set against Vienna's demimonde and Austria's rural landscape, Revanche is an unsentimental exploration of grief, revenge, longing and love. —Toronto International Film Festival


Written by Götz Spielman. Photographed by Martin Gschlacht. With Johannes Krisch, Ursula Strauss, Irina Potapenko, Andreas Lust. (121 min, Janus Films)
This screening is free for year-round Film Society members. To attend RSVP to members@sffs.org.