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Melancholie der Engel
2009 164 min Germany NC-17 18+
★5.4
Horror, Mystery
Director: Marian Dora
Trailers
Description
Upon learning that his days are numbered, a man and an old friend return to an old house that connects them by a dark secret. Along with three women and a mysterious old man, the group journeys into a horrifying abyss of debauchery and moral mayhem, leading to a fatal turn of events, during which the darkest human depths are revealed.
Budget:
$10,000
Starring
Zenza Raggi
Actor
Carsten Frank
Actor
Frank Oliver
Actor
Awards
1 win
Key opinion
Melancholie der Engel is a polarizing underground work that functions as an eschatological, surrealist manifesto rather than a traditional narrative. While some viewers perceive it as a profound, Bosch-inspired meditation on death and eroticism, others condemn it as a pretentious and gratuitous collection of sadistic stunts.
| Production | The film utilizes extreme, visceral imagery of decay and cruelty that functions as a challenging, Bosch-like visual experience. | |
| Score | The soundtrack and audio design successfully cultivate a persistent atmosphere of gloom and melancholy. | |
| Screenplay | The film abandons conventional narrative structure in favor of a chaotic, timeless, and irrational series of sequences. | |
| Runtime | The three-hour runtime is either viewed as a necessary commitment to a meditative philosophical journey or an exhausting, tedious endurance test. | |
| Acting | The performances are characterized by some as committed portrayals of complex, dark archetypes, while others dismiss them as over-exerted and devoid of genuine payoff. |