The Colony (Cinema Review)

Starring: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist
Directed By: Florian Gallenberger
Running Time: 110 Minutes
BBFC Certificate: 15
UK Release Date: 1st July 2016

Every now and then we get a film based on a horrific true story that shocks us, grabs us by the emotive heartstrings and presents us with an uncomfortable yet captivating viewing experience as it unfolds. And despite this film’s subject matter, it just doesn’t give the audience the kind of visual experience a story like this deserves or have the same effect as, for example, watching Schindler’s List (1993).

The Colony tells the story of Lena (Emma Watson) and her boyfriend Daniel (Daniel Brühl) during the Chilean military coup in 1967. General Pinochet’s secret police abduct Daniel and take him to Colonia Dignidad, which is a peaceful religious sanctuary to the outside world, but no one who has entered has ever escaped. Upon hearing about where Daniel’s is, Lena goes there to rescue him, but Colonia Dignidad is not what it seems and she enters into a dangerous and abusive religious cult.

Now, I don’t want to spoil too much about this film but it is based on a horrific true story which features repression, abuse, torture, paedophilia and extermination, but is a story that I am ashamed to say that I had not previously known about.

As such I entered this film with a blank slate and initially saw a story about a young couple who are against ‘the man’ during the Chilean coup d’état. But the film shifts from a love story with the backdrop of a military coup, to a horror survival thriller once Lena enters the colony and becomes part of this cult.

I enjoyed this shift in tone and as Lena sees more of the colony, the audience also experiences the ‘open terrors’ that it contains. These all emanate from the cult’s leader Paul Schäfer (Michael Nyqvist), who is everything you expect a creepy, abusive, German priest to be, using fear and religion to consume its inhabitants and hold power over them all. And as we know, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Now, religion generally gets a bad reputation these days mainly because of the many stories of horrors committed in the name of ‘God’ and people using it to their own advantage to do horrible and ungodly things. There are lots of good things that come from religion, but as the film unfolds it’s almost like a checklist of well documented religious abuse, and at points it’s reminiscent of a Louis Theroux documentary.

A film like this should be more impactful, and because of the emotionless acting by some of the supporting cast, the use of an overbearing soundtrack in some scenes, the editing that flinches away before the audience has time to be uncomfortably trapped within certain scenes; I wasn’t shocked and even felt desensitised by the ending, which shows you the true aftermath of Colonia Dignidad with real life photos (as per most films based on a true story).

Having read up on Colonia Dignidad, this film seems like a wasted opportunity to bring the events to the big screen. Instead of focusing on the atrocities that happened there, the filmmakers have turned it into a frivolous love story that feels like it was made for TV. Its focus on Lena and Daniel is underdeveloped and we don’t care much about the supporting characters, as many seem content and happy to be there, and as such I didn’t care much if anyone escaped or not.

It does have a few thrilling and tense scenes, but these are juxtaposed and seem out of place where, in the hands of another director, the tension would have grown until it became unbearable for the audience.

Daniel Brühl is good in tis role as he pretends to be a damaged prisoner, but lacks chemistry with Emma Watson who recreates her best Hermione Granger stare at every given opportunity. But her role of hiding beneath a veil of complacency doesn’t challenge her as an actress and she doesn’t come across as a heroine. It seems like a genuine and fun relationship between the two, but not one where on would go to these risks in order to rescue the other, and it’s a shame that we don’t have enough of the couple’s backstory in order to justify this.

This film has had a staggered release throughout different territories and I guess it’s hard for an independent film to get a decent release window. But I am surprised it is being released in UK at a time where audiences generally choose escapism over depressing, historical subject matter (especially in these days of political and economic uncertainty), and I think this film will unfortunately flounder. It would have made more sense to release it after Christmas and to cash in on Beauty and the Beast’s marketing.

However, I feel this movie is more suited to home viewing and should do well on demand. But regardless of how critical I am of this film, it is important that these stories are told so that history isn’t forgotten, and hopefully these atrocities are never repeated.

Overall Verdict: A film that paces along but unfortunately lacks the emotional punch of its subject matter. Fair performances from its leads and a tick box plot make the film watchable, but certain moments are muddled and it’s not as tense or horrific as it deserves to be.

Reviewer: George Elcombe