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 & 12 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

What does a lean approach to directing mean

One small point before touching the question in the title, that is the title of the movie. For those who didn't put too much effort into their Greek mythology studies. Styx is the name of the river leading from the land of the living into the land of the dead in the Greek mythology. Even more important is the fact that passangers on that river must have money with them or they won't be allowed into the land of the dead and will remain on the river for a century, in a greek version of Limbo.

Now that the movie's title makes sense, I'll discuss my own title. When a director chooses a lean approach to movie making, it means not using camera tricks not using any CGI, but rather making his own presence and the cinematographer's almost unnoticeable. And that's exactly what Wolfgang Fischer does, that is apart from two early scenes in the movie involving monkies. And in my humble opinion the movie would've been better without these scenes.

One last point: when one chooses a lean approach to directing it usually calls for a lot more from the actors. We get only two in this film, and the two of them are superb. Susanne Wolff and Gedion Odour Weseka, don't act their roles, they are the characters they portrey.