Michael (Michael Fuith), a seemingly meek insurance agent, has a secret: he''s holding 10-year-old Wolfgang (David Rauchenberger) captive in a locked room in his basement. Chronicling a five month period, director Markus Schleinzer reveals a tense portrait of how seemingly mundane lives can hide the darkest secrets. Michael is a masterfully executed study of a monster with rich cinematic detail and unnerving insight
Michael, a mousy insurance salesman, keeps an under-aged boy locked in his basement, while doing his best to appear ordinary to the outside world. Provided they don''t come knocking on his door.
Setting the record for the darkest of character studies, Markus Schleinzer’s compelling and surprisingly humorous directorial debut follows five months in the lives of a pedophile and the ten-year-old boy he is keeping in his basement.
To the outside world, Michael appears to be living a typical, middle-class Austrian life: upping his productivity level in the hopes of getting a promotion, drinking with the guys after work, and taking ski vacations in the hills. At home, Michael spends time with Wolfgang, his young kidnappee who lives in a custom built room. They share uncomfortable dinners, cleaning duties and forced holiday gift giving. It seems as if life could continue like this forever, until a series of unexpected events begins to make it harder and harder for Michael to keep his secret safe. Smartly showing only what the audience needs to see, Schleinzer (a former casting director for Michael Haneke) creates an unsettlingly non-judgmental atmosphere, placing you as close as possible to experiencing the life of Michael. Comprised mostly as a series of static shots, the film hinges heavily on the tempered creepiness of actor Michael Fuith’s performance as the titular character. Uncompromisng, Michael paints a very real world picture that, after awhile, feels all too normal for comfort.
