Das letzte Abteil

A train makes its way through the snow-covered Alps. Suddenly, an avalanche comes down, separating a car from the rest of the train and burying it under snow. This simple constellation is the basis of Andy Schaaps claustrophobic thriller, which defies a classic motive of the genre with visual energy and a light touch. Greta was on her way to visit her comatose mother, when the accident puts her in danger of ending up like that herself. No wonder she has visions of being bound to a hospital bed and believed to be comatose; having to experience how her inner cries for help and signs of life are ignored by the nurses. Everything will turn out differently, of course, even though Greta herself cannot decide between reality and delusion anymore. Andy Schaap's third feature is also his most personal film, with its plot uncovering a story that is far from the scope of typical genre fare. A trance-like film about people at the crossroads between life and death, ingeniously positioned by Schaap between big action-cinema and intimate drama. (Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg)