Styx (2018)

"Styx" depicts the transformation of a strong woman torn from her contented world during a sailing trip.

Director:

Wolfgang Fischer

Writers:

Ika Künzel, Wolfgang Fischer

Stars:

Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Kelvin Mutuku Ndinda

31 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Susanne Wolff	...	Rike
Gedion Oduor Wekesa	...	Kingsley
Kelvin Mutuku Ndinda	...	Kelvin
Inga Birkenfeld	...	Assistant Doctor Marie
Alexander Beyer	...	Paul
Dominik Böth	...	Firefighter Captain
Anika Menger	...	Paramedic #1
Mario Mangion	...	Paramedic #2
Chris Spiteri	...	Combat Medic (voice)
Charlie Galea	...	Radio Operator Pulpca (voice)
Simon Sansone	...	Radio Operator Coastguard Male (voice)
Felicity Babao	...	Radio Operator Coastguard Female (voice)

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:

monkey | yacht | car crash | gibraltar | sailboat | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rike's yacht, Asa Gray, is named after an eminent 19th century American botanist.

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Goofs

There is no explanation of why there is a blood stain on the railing of the rescuing vessel toward the end of the movie.

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Quotes

Rike: Pulpca, these people need help. Over.
Radio Operator Pulpca: Unfortunately our company has a strict policy in such cases. I'm sorry.
Rike: Pulpca, these people are going to die. Over.
Radio Operator Pulpca: Asa Gray, I really cannot risk my job.

User Reviews

Suspenseful With Superb Cinematography But Offers Only an Ambiguous Finale

Susanne Wolff gives a fine performance here as Rake, an emergency room doctor who sets off alone onto the sea, on her sailing yacht, to head towards the isolated Ascension Island, in the South Atlantic. Ascension contains a natural jungle planned and fostered by Charles Darwin. I thought the cinematography here was truly superb from the startling opening scenes and throughout the film.

When Rake comes across a trawler in emergency distress and containing numerous African migrants, she will be faced with the dilemma of her humanitarian desire to help vs. the policies and procedures of governments and their politics. It's a worldwide crisis with no easy answers, and viewers will most likely come down on both sides of the equation.

Overall, I thought the movie maintained a good air of suspense throughout but I was definitely not thrilled with the most ambiguous ending. To note, English subtitles were only available when German was spoken, which was rarely, but I was able to obtain them from my closed caption option on my remote.

Details

Official Sites:

Beta Cinema [Germany] Beta Film [Germany]

Country:

Germany Austria Netherlands Malta

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 February 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Styx

Filming Locations:

Gibraltar Harbour, Gibraltar

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,420, 3 March 2019

Gross USA:

$70,794

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$118,188

Company Credits

Production Co:

Schiwago Film, Amour Fou Vienna, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1