A woman inexplicably finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall suddenly surrounds the countryside. Read more …
Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature.
Bold and beautiful, this is a mystery worth puzzling over.
Gedeck carries the entire film, playing without sentimentality but capturing all the physical exhaustion and emotional intensity of a woman with nothing to contemplate but her place in the world and endless hours in which to do it.
Julian Roman Pölsler's bewitching debut manages to be at once a creepy sci-fi parable, a feminist Robinson Crusoe and a clear-eyed ode to the wonders of nature experienced in solitude.
As the seasons pass her loneliness and isolation become the basis of a beautifully photographed and elegantly handled existential drama.
The sheer quantity of voiceover – or, more likely, subtitles – acts as a barrier to deep psychological immersion.
It would be a provocative, immersive experience if the voiceover knew when to shut up, but dog and woman are both excellent.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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