Nearly forgot about this one, or is it a case of trying to forget? It's not that it is a bad film, it is more that it is a difficult film to watch.
It's the story of a seemingly ordinary, boring man who has a darker side which is that he keeps a boy locked in his basement which he's specially kitted out for the purpose.
Not the lightest of subjects on which to base a film. The abuse is only alluded, happening off screen and thus leaving the awfulness to your own imagination. But what is all the more disturbing is the ordinaryness with which the man is painted. The writer/director Markus Schleinzer has purposely chosen to show him in this light rather than portraying him as an obvious deviant.
Yes he is abhorrant but had he been presented in some sort of monster it would have made it much easier to distance myself from what he is and what he is doing.
His regular, boring, insurance clerk persona is far more affecting and disturbing. The tension is an underlying revulsion building to dramatic denouement, but dramatic in a way that you don't expect.
I didn't like Michael, like is the wrong word but I thought it was well done so it's getting 73% from me. On IMDB is has 75% with a Metacritic score of 64%, while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 72% from critics and 82% of visitors gave it three and a half stars or more.
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