12/43
Twelve years after his escape, professional criminal Troyan returns to Berlin. In the city, they attempt to steal a valuable painting. But the carefully planned robbery quickly spirals out of control. Next up is Im Schatten (2010). During the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, viewers could see how professional criminal Troyan (Misel MATICHEVICH) from IM SCHATTEN (2010) was forced to leave the capital indefinitely. Troyan still operates in a rather analogous way: old-fashioned crimes such as theft of material objects such as watches, cash and photographs. No ties to the mafia or clan structure, a lone fighter, only occasionally and when necessary in a team! When the coup in the Ruhr region does not go as planned, Troyan must return to Berlin to make old contacts (Marie-Lou SELLEM). And indeed: together with three companions (Tim Seifi, Marie LEUENBERGER, Bilge BINGUL) Troyan manages to steal a valuable painting by Kaspar David FRIEDRICH. But then the real trouble begins with the mysterious client Viktor (Alexander FELLING)… At the 2010 BERLINALE Film Festival, Braunschweig director Thomas ARSLAN’s IM SCHATTEN hit like a long-awaited genre bomb. The interesting genre film, shot in Germany, was told using the cinematic tools of the Berlin School. Extremely exciting, with rare dialogues and explosive moments of violence! ARSLAN continues it with VERBRANNTE ERDE, seemingly smoothly. Gangster films are still rare in German cinema. The images of cinematographer Reinhold FORSCHNEIDER (also in IM SCHATTEN) tell with cold precision about the people living in a shadowy version of Germany. In dark places, in the shadow of nearby attractions, but far from the perception of the police and ordinary people. Berlin appears as both accomplice and adversary of the film’s main characters. The restrained music by Norwegian composer Ola FLOTTUM (The Worst Man in the World, 2021) contributes greatly to this tense atmosphere. It shows a capital that you know but still don’t have. Many viewers will be able to recognize this urban development with all its roads from their surroundings. Haunted places are very close to us: scorched earth in the shadow! Michel MATICHEVICH (THE FACE OF CRIME / BABYLON BERLIN) again very convincingly plays the role of Troy, which we will probably see again (Thomas ARSLAN is planning a kind of Troy trilogy). GERMAN FILM AWARD nominee Marie Lou SELLEM (nominated in 2024 for KNOCHEN UND NAMEN / BONES AND NAMES) plays the icy mediator. But GERMAN FILM PROCESSING winner Alexander FELLING (winner of DAS ENDE DER WAHRHEIT 2019) is frighteningly good and certainly doesn’t have to hide from classic villains like Klaus KINSKI and Michael FASSBENDER. Tom ARSLAN doesn’t want to spend as much time on the third film in his trilogy, “Trojan Horse,” as he did from 2010 to 2024. It remains interesting!
