A different way of telling a story

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

"Angst" is an Austrian 32-year-old movie written and directed by Gerald Kargl. It is easily his most known effort as he has not been really prolific. His body of work on IMDb is almost empty, but I read that he directed many television ads as well. The same cannot be said about the Polish co-writer Rybczynski, who won an Oscar in the animated short film category the very same year "Angst" was released. This film runs for no longer than 75 minutes, but is very intense and at times tough to watch. A man with a history of violence (even towards his own mother and sister) gets released out of prison after 10 years and immediately plans his next massacre. He ends up at a rich family's house, where he kills everybody. If you are more interested in the psychological aspect of this movie and prefer to skip the murders, you can simply omit minutes 30-45 as this is where the trio gets killed. He has fantasies about young women at a café and about a taxi driver as well, but does not succeed there already. Anyway, he seems to have a pretty misogynist attitude, probably because of bad experiences with his female relatives.The lead character is played by Erwin Leder, an actor you may also have come across in "Das Boot" or "Schindler's List". While we watch him, we constantly hear the thought of what is going on in his head, how he makes parallels between his victims (or even creatures like swans) and his family members or ex-girlfriends. The rest of the cast is fairly unknown. Many of them have never appeared in a film before or after this. If you like horror films with simple premises or just enjoy slashers where a sadist kills many people, this is probably exactly your cup of tea. However, I should probably not say slasher as there is really not much blood in here except when he kills the daughter of the family. There is also no really explicit agony, suffering or screaming. The daughter, for example, in her last moments, still thinks about her mother's illness. After he killed the trio, the film gets a bit worse, mostly because his inner monologues get less too and he is not telling us that much anymore why he became who he is. The ending, however, is pretty good again at the café and outside when the cops come and catch him. All in all, I recommend it. It is a pretty good character study of a disturbed sadist. But it is certainly not for the easily offended.

ANGST (1983) ** Bizarre take on the psychopath on the loose horror flick from German filmmaker Gerald Kargl (this his one and only film ever produced leaves one wonder What Could Have Been?) that has a documentarian feel 'based on a true story' involving a recently released lunatic from prison (creepy as hell Erwin Leder who suggests the bastard child of Mick Jagger & Brian Jones!) whose insatiable, desperate need to kill again leads him onto an isolated house and terrorizing the denizens - a family that echoes his …leading to some disturbing moments of unease with a few bloody moments that feel agonizingly one beat too long. The film only doesn't work in the relentless narrative and a character that is truly almost blackly comically inept in the unskilled or planned crimes he perpetuates. Remarkable cinematography by screenwriter Zbignew Rybcynski who also edited with interesting composition, skewed angles and POVs that take some genuine risk.

ANGST is a thoroughly unpleasant film. But don't let that put you off. A movie about a messed-up serial killer should feel that way. It's testament to the skill of the filmmaking and the acting that a movie gets under your skin. Too many so-called shockers fail in that regard. The most obvious example is 'Saw', with its stupid, hyperactive editing and its ridiculous killer. 'Angst' feels as real as this type of movie can get.It starts with the nameless psychopath holed up in prison, aware of his own sadistic thoughts but hiding them from the prison's psychologists. When they try to psychoanalyse him, he just says he dreams about flowers. I guess the Austrian legal system is more trusting than other countries, because they let the guy out again after almost stabbing his mother to death (four-year sentence) and then killing a 70-year-old (ten-year sentence).Within an hour of release, he's gnawing on a sausage in a café (via some disgusting extreme close-ups) and leering at some women, wondering how he's going to kill them. But he's sane enough to know he can't get away with it, so he gets out of the place.It's only a brief delay. Soon the psychopath is in a taxi with a female driver. She reminds him of an ex-girlfriend who used to love being abused. When that plan goes tits-up, he runs into the woods, frustrated and desperate to kill. He breaks into what he thinks is a deserted house... until a disabled man wheels up to him and calls him "Papa". Then that guy's sister and elderly mother show up too....'Angst' is often compared to 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'... another troubling but excellent serial killer movie. ANGST lacks the depth of style that 'Henry' has, which is brilliantly acted and directed with a bunch of memorable moments. But 'Angst' has a number of unique things going for it. The hand-held shots are incredibly smooth and dreamlike, hovering in front of the killer's frantic face. It reminded me of the odd Eastern European style of 'The Cremator', another very creepy killer flick. The camera must be on some movable scaffold attached to the actor, either that or the camera operator was extremely light of their feet.The deaths in 'Angst' are also brutal, nasty, and (save for blood spurting on the killer's face from the wrong angle) uncomfortably real. There's also interesting artistic touches, one of which is the family's pet dachshund. The dog's reaction to events is shown a lot, working in the mutt as a character. He looks curiously at the killer a lot, tries to bite him as he kills the girl, and eventually ends up as the killer's companion.It's surprising that Kargl has no other credits other than a small documentary. I guess 'Angst' isn't the sort of movie that will ingratiate you to film producers. But it's a shame 'Angst' isn't better known. Apparently it was a big influence on Gaspar Noe ('Irreversible', 'I Stand Alone'), but I prefer 'Angst'. It doesn't revel in shocks so much as to desensitise you to them. The shocking moments work in 'Angst' because they're largely unpredictable.In fact, the whole movie is pitched at the right levels. The dark humour isn't overstated, the pace is fluid, and it's neatly structured with a great ending. Find a way to get hold of a subtitled version of 'Angst' and check out an excellent example of its genre.

Angst is without a doubt one of the best serial killer flicks in the history of cinema. And some would say The Best. And I can tell you, it's damn close.Angst follows a serial killer who is released from prison after a 10 year incarceration. What takes place is shocking and original film-making. What this man does is just start up where he left off. It's basically just following around the killer and just getting to know him. Oh and his victims, but in a more or less personal way. Eesh.Angst excels in all facets. The acting by the main character, the serial killer, is flat out great, in an insane sort of way. He looks the part, and definitely acts the part. The scene when he's in the car is unforgettable. Throw in great cinematography, direction and writing, and the fact that this is a truly disturbing, realistic look into a serial killer's obsessive habits, it easily makes this one of the best serial killer movies of all time.