Absolute brilliance. If I could issue a score of 15 out of 10 I would.The tight script which has interwoven the characters into a long and taught braid is supported by pristinely framed and painted shots, trance inducing sustains where needed, meaningfully placed reoccurring motifs, superbly crafted diegetic sound-scape's, and sublime acting. Well done and thank you to the director, actors and crew for bringing this superb experience into existence. It knocked my socks off. I don't recall there being any score either so this is quite unusual. The colors are so perfect, every shot a painting. And sound, I recall the wind over the pond. Powerful emotional resonance.Thanks again.

A love in the underworld between Russian prostitute Tamara (Irina Potapenko) and bordello body-guard Alex (Johannes Krisch) leads them to embrace the perspective of escape from the harsh realities of debts owed to crime bosses. The solution to their worries is a bank heist, during which Tamara dies after being fatally wounded by a stray bullet from police officer Robert (Andreas Lust). Engrieved Alex hides out at his grandfather's (Johannes Thanheiser) farm, where he spends his days chopping wood for the winter. However grief turns to concepts of vengeance, when it turns out that Robert and his wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss) are neighbours.Starting off from a seedy, hopeless love affair, after a few scenes certainty of an emotional train-ride becomes evident. As the story unfolds and takes various turns, moral dilemmas take the forefront, as death, sorrow, remorse and regret construe a fascinating psychological story, where revenge isn't limited to a simple pulling of the trigger lacking forethought. As Alex, Robert and Susanne interact questions raised reach satisfying, if uneasy, conclusions, as a full circle is reached, making this one of the most poignant movies on the question of revenge, much detached from the typical Hollywood or Hong Kong take on the matter.The story has a unmistakable natural flow (partly owed to the settings and the camera-work), as happenings build the story without effort or forced connections. As if to underline this music score is done away with, only the noise of the streets and background of nature fill the space between infrequent dialogues. All this allows Götz Spielmann to deliver a focused, straight story without visual distractions or voyages into the supposed 'darkness' of the human heart.

This Austrian drama starts as a love story between a scruffy ex-con and a Ukranian prostitute, but evolves into an interesting character study. It takes a while for the film to settle down and the central storyline to emerge, but it is quite absorbing. The acting is excellent, particularly Strauss and Thanheiser. Spielmann's direction is assured and marked by visual elegance. He doesn't use any flashy camera-work, but manages to infuse every frame with a sense of foreboding. The pacing is deliberate (about 10 minutes of screen time is devoted to watching Krisch cut wood), but it never drags. The Austrian countryside is beautifully shot in this low-key and rewarding film.

There are a lot of "second chances" in this Oscar nominated film.Alex (Johannes Krisch) wants to give Tamara (Irina Potapenko) a second chance to escape her life of prostitution. He wants a second chance after being released from jail and robs a bank to get it. He also wants a second chance with his father (Johannes Thanheiser).Unfortunately, life is what happens when you are making other plans, and the encounter with the policeman Robert (Andreas Lust) ruins Alex's plans.Revanche also means "revenge." You can see the slow burning of Alex as he broods over the loss of Tamara. Circumstance has it that his father lives right next door to the policemen. Even when the policeman's wife Susanne (Ursula Strauss) tries to get intimate with him, he has sex, but treats her like dirt.What Alex doesn't realize until he and Robert meet is that Robert is grieving as much as he is. He shot Tamara by accident and is aching over her death.There was some outstanding acting by all the characters in this film. It really was worthy of the Academy Award. Too bad it had to go up against Okuribito.