By Michael Walsh

There’s an absolute chilling feeling present throughout Gotz Spielmann’s tender yet erotic film Revanche, a sophisticated thriller turned drama that meets at the crossroads of brutal revenge and emotional desire.

A man, robbed of purpose and life after his bank robbery attempt goes wrong, lives on his grandfather’s farm drained from the desire for taking revenge on the man who interrupted his plans for a new life with his girlfriend.

This Austrian film, which was nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, could have resulted in a rather rough, generic and erotic film if put in worse hands than Spielmann’s.

But Spielmann gently does something breathtakingly special with Revanche, using a hint of dead silence to engage and instill the most emotion it can in its viewers. The film doesn’t rely on loud, explosive sequences, but instead opts to stay quiet, and the silence is absolutely more chilling and suspenseful than any loud and proud sequence could be. Revanche is simply the latest example in the idea that sometimes less is more in a thriller, or any film.

Like the greatest of filmmakers, Spielmann, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, challenges with moral questions and judges the ethics of man and woman. His story is that of balance between good and bad, right and wrong. The plot is strong, sincere and ultimately meaningful while resulting in being as surprising as it is cohesive. Spielmann creates what can’t be thought of as anything less than a textbook thriller that eventually evolves into a drama.

Johannes Krisch, who plays the films main character Alex, helps the cause delivering an authentic and painful performance of a man torn between the choice of revenge or not. The change in character from the first to second half of the film shows Krisch’s acting range and keeps a strong investment in the character. Balancing Krisch’s performance is Ursula Strauss, who plays Susanne, a close neighbor to Alex’s father Hausner, who has her own surprising and meaningful connection to Alex in the film that leads to even more ethical debate.

All of the characters in Spielmann’s smartly written film feel real. And this ultimately is what separates Revanche from your typical Hollywood thriller. There’s a real composition and defined tone given to each and every character, no matter how large or small of a part they play in the ultimate outcome, and this is the most important factor of the film. It’s hard to get too into describing the characters without giving much of the film away.

Spielmann also avoids convoluting his film with a twisting and winding plot that sends viewers into a dizzying frenzy trying to follow it down a rabbit hole. Instead, the film is driven by its strong characters and their actions, not surprising twist after twist. And because of this it should be understood that it will take a little patience and a dedicated viewer to truly feel the engaging impact of this film.

Spielmann’s effective, beautiful yet tragic story is one of the strongest foreign films seen in years. It trumps most American films of its kind and isn’t a film that should be passed up. Revanche will engage you until the last moment and keep you in absolute suspense all the while inflicting its morality-bending questions into your own mind.