The Last Dance (2014)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The last Dance |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 2014 |
| length | 96 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Houchang Allahyari |
| script | Houchang Allahyari, Daniel Kundi , August Staudenmayer |
| production | Houchang Allahyari |
| music | Erdem Tunakan |
| camera | Peter Roehsler |
| cut |
Daniela Müllner , Charlotte Müllner |
| occupation | |
| |
The Last Dance is an Austrian feature film. Between the civil servant Karl and the Alzheimer's patient Julia Ecker, an emotional relationship develops in which sexual intercourse occurs. This is discovered by the head nurse. Karl is arrested, charged as a rapist and convicted.
The film was shot in 2013 under the working title 2 acts .
action
At the beginning of the film (black / white) Karl is arrested at home with his mother. The reason remains unclear at first. Karl’s mother seeks support from Karl’s friend Nathalie and her family. A lawyer is hired. Gradually it turns out that Karl is accused of a crime with a sexual background.
Flashback, "3 months before" (in color): Karl studied economics and is transferred to a hospital geriatric department as a civil servant. The department is run strictly by the extremely resolute head nurse Regina. Karl tries to take the patient seriously and takes special care of the Alzheimer's patient, Ms. Ecker. B. reads and worries about music.
Ms. Ecker is being treated as an Alzheimer's patient; it shows signs of dementia, but on the other hand, in many situations it is completely clear and also unruly. She expresses her opinion on the regime of head nurse Regina ("Sergeant") and refuses to take medication because the effect is unclear to her ("poison mixer"). She defecates, but suddenly can walk again with Karl and lets him lead her to the toilet.
Karl gets to know his school colleague Nathalie again on the bus. You start a relationship. At the same time, there is a strong emotional bond between Karl and Ms. Ecker. Karl reads Mrs. Ecker from the novel Die Geier-Wally , takes her for a walk and gets her an mp3 player and headphones. This bond is recognized by the head nurse and identified as a disorder, as it "wakes up" Ms. Ecker and makes it more difficult to control. The head nurse therefore arranges for Karl to be transferred to another ward. When Frau Ecker learns of Karl's transfer, she seduces him on his last night shift. This leads to sexual intercourse, which is discovered by the head nurse.
After intercourse with Karl, Frau Ecker dances one last happy dance alone through the station and then obviously dies. Karl is arrested the next morning. He was imprisoned and charged.
The public prosecutor briefed head nurse Regina at the court that what matters was her testimony, as the patient could no longer be questioned. Apparently Karl is sentenced; the extent of the sentence is not mentioned in the film.
Motives and themes
The motifs and themes of the film are the actual conditions in the inpatient care of the elderly (with head nurse Regina, echoes of sister Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest cannot be overlooked; the sister's name is also speaking) and the restrictions, especially sexual ones Freedom, which is connected on the one hand with care or need for care per se and on the other hand with the attribution of roles to old women (Ms. Ecker describes herself as a “witch”). Secondary motives are the mother-son relationship, the conditions in custody and the powerlessness of sensible people in the prison system.
Prices
- Big Diagonale Film Award 2014 as the best Austrian feature film
- Diagonale Acting Award 2014 for Erni Mangold
- Austrian Film Award 2015 : Erni Mangold as best actress, Daniel Sträßer nominated as best actor