Review by John Delia, Sr.
Mind boggling, the film In the Fade takes you on a path to revenge that doesn’t let up till the final minute of the movie. With a stellar performance by Diane Kruger and fine direction by Fatih Akin the film stands out as one of the best foreign films of 2018. If you like compelling movies that touch the edgy side of the headlines, then this film will work for you.
After dropping off her son Rocco (Rafael Santana) to his father Nuri Sekerci (Numan Acar) at his place of business, Katja Sekerci (Diane Kruger) meets up with her sister Birgit (Samia Chancrin). They spend the afternoon at a spa and talk about the future of the family. Upon her return to Nuri’s store she sees there’s been an explosion. She’s blocked from the store because there’s a lot of commotion and the police have cordoned off the block. Seeing its Nuri’s building that has been blown up she fights her way through the crowd where Chief Inspector Reetz confronts her with the bad news of her losses.
It’s not long after the incident that two suspects are captured Andre Moller (Ulrich Brandhoff) and Edda Moller (Hanna Hilsdorf) which leads to a trial with Danila Fava (Denis Moschitto) as the prosecutor. Director and screenwriter Fatih Akin who won the screenwriting award at Cannes Film Festival in 2007 for The Edge of Heaven, does a remarkable job of bringing this gripping film to the screen. Although the above setup only takes up the first 12 minutes of the film, he creates a lot of serious infighting, tense courtroom drama and very strong acting performances that show the hatred of the unconscionable act and the desire for vengeance.
The standout performance by Diane Kruger should not be missed. Her depiction of Katja the distraught woman and the reasons for her revenge are clearly stated in her emotions. The roadblocks put before her are enough to join with her in her want for justice, but some are insurmountable and turn her to the dark side. You’ll recognize from a number of films like National Treasure as Abigale Case to Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds to Unknown playing opposite Liam Neeson. Her fine acting in the 26 episodes of TV’s “The Bridge†are highly commendable.
In the Fade has been rated R by the MPAA for some disturbing images, drug use, and language including sexual references. The film also contains scenes of the after violence. The film spools out in German, French, and English with English subtitles.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very compelling story with strong performances.(4 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information
Starring: Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto, Numan Acar, Johannes Krisch, Numan Acar, Samia Chancrin, Rafael Santana, Ulrich Brandhoff, Hanna Hilsdorf
Directed by: Fatih Akin
Genre: Drama, Foreign
MPAA Rating: R for some disturbing images, drug use, and language including sexual references. The film also contains violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Release Date: January 26, 2018
Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures
Released in: German, French, and English