Styx (2018)

"Styx" depicts the transformation of a strong woman torn from her contented world during a sailing trip. When she becomes the only person to come to the aid of a group of refugees ... See full summary »

Director:

Wolfgang Fischer

Writers:

Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel

Stars:

Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Felicity Babao

18 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Susanne Wolff	...	Rieke
Gedion Oduor Wekesa	...	Kingsley
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Felicity Babao	...	Radio Coastguard female (voice)
Alexander Beyer	...	Paul
Inga Birkenfeld	...	Marie
Anika Menger	...	Paramedic

Storyline

"Styx" depicts the transformation of a strong woman torn from her contented world during a sailing trip. When she becomes the only person to come to the aid of a group of refugees shipwrecked on the high seas, she is shown the limits of her importance and of the empathy of her cultural milieu. She is left slipping impotently from one nightmare to the next, and by the end she is forced to recognize that there is no way to counter the cruelties of real life. Only chance can save her.

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Plot Keywords:

sailboat | female doctor | boat refugee | reference to charles darwin | woman alone at sea | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

production company site

Country:

Germany Austria

Language:

English German

Release Date:

13 September 2018 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Hamis szelek

Filming Locations:

Gibraltar Harbour, Gibraltar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Vienna, Small Island Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Slow, taciturn film about individual responsibility

Easy to watch, hard to digest. "Styx" is a good and soft-voiced political film, but maybe too long for its simple message about individual responsibility.

Or maybe there's just too much message and too little drama in this film. It has a great analogy of Europe as naval crisis between an immigrant boat, a private boat and coastal guard. The grand political scenario of immigrant politics is dramatized in scale of two boats. If you get a mayday message on sea then it is the kind of situation where you must help anyone in need. But the lonely sailor (Susanne Wolff) of the private boat must decide how long will she use her own small boat and believe in her own devotion (she's a doctor) to help +300 immigrants in a sinking boat miles away from African west coast.

The basis for this contemporary drama is much better than the dramatic outcome. The story is cut short, just the way it might have gone, to be as blunt as the migration politics in Europe. There's not much left for atmosphere or character building. The setup for central scene is much more interesting than the proper scene with conflicts between different types of floating powers (literally).

If you like to get more metaphors or thoughts to consider about European politics at Mediterranean, you may want to see Fire at Sea (2016) by Gianfranco Rosi.