Toxic Lullaby (2010) User Reviews

HANDS OFF THE LIVER!

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 18 October 2018]

Eloise (Samantha Richter) is out partying with two guys. She has taken acid while being exposed to toxic chemicals being sprayed in a field. The world she lives in is green and colorful. When Eloise goes to sleep, she wakes up in a very different world. In this world everything is drab. People wear gas masks to prevent from getting infected. Infected people are called sleepers (not zombies) as they stand around all day as if they are asleep. They are flesh eaters, fast moving, and one had a diabolical laugh while he was killing and eating a person, something I would like to have seen more of. The man who rescues her believes she is from "The Green Island" a fictional safe haven. In the drab sleeper world Eloise has memory loss.

The infection is explained as is the mystery surrounding Eloise.

The film is in German with English misspelled subtitles. Fields is spelled "fealds." People is "Poeple." and Fate is "fake."

Parental guide: F-bomb, sex, near rape, brief nudity (male and female)

Sweet dark realism

[Ghuldarkar · 10/10 · 16 May 2012]

When Eloise awakes from drug induced sleep she finds herself lost in a seemingly post-apocalyptic, where mutants hunt down the last remaining humans. She is taken in by a group of scouts who believe her to be an inhabitant of the legendary and fertile "Grünen Insel" (Green Island) due to her appearance. A series of events unravels a story in which Eloise can trust only a handful of people since even the last humans are rather beast than man.

The dialogue is the weakest part of the film, ranging from "good but sometimes a bit too detached acting" to "silly considered the situation the character is in". This doesn't make the film bad, since long dialogue is scarce and many character are intentionally detached due to their traumatizing lives. The overall story and plot are typical for German films and throughout dark and rather humourless compared to many American movies. The mise-en-scène is done remarkably well. Set in dark woods and ruins, inhabited by gas mask wearing desperates the fictional world is credible. Gore, of which there is a lot, looks brutal and realistic yet not overdone, which is rather an achievement since it is very graphical and mostly on screen. Costumes and Make-up are chosen with great care. Everything looks improvised from what they scavenge in the desolate remains of culture and each character has an individual touch to his appearance even when wearing masks. Last but not least, the physical acting. I personally am often upset about how fights are done in certain films for I practice armed martial arts. The battles in this one however seem plausible, still a bit edgy but while watching one believes the movements to be possible and effective.

This Movie is one of my new favorites due to it's great take on a very difficult subject. The portrayal of human survivors who fight barehanded for their lives in this film is one of the best I know. Being rather a genre-film is it though a must-see for all fans of post-apocalyptic horror.