On the edge

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title On the edge
Original title On the edge
Country of production Ireland
original language English
Publishing year 2001
length 85 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director John Carney
script John Carney,
Daniel James
production Ed Guiney ,
Arthur Lappin
music John Carney
camera Eric Alan Edwards
cut Dermot Diskin ,
Thomas Wise
occupation

On the Edge (Cross-Reference: Random ) is a 2001 Irish drama film directed by John Carney . The main role was played by Cillian Murphy . It is a story of suicide, love and doubt.

action

The central theme involves three young patients (Jonathan, Rachel and Toby) in a mental hospital. Each of them have internal conflicts that deal with suicide, self-destruction and notions of death. Dr. Figure is the psychiatrist who should help, explain and, above all, deal hopefully with your problems.

The film begins with the funeral of Jonathan's father, who died of alcohol poisoning. Jonathan is also the protagonist of the story.

Jonathan is driving down a cliff in a stolen car with the intention of killing himself. But he only breaks his little finger. The consequence of the stolen car is: either go to jail or a two-month stay in the mental institution. He chooses therapy.

In the first part of the film, Jonathan's character is made clear: Outwardly, he looks funny, sarcastic, a little arrogant, but clever; inside, however, he has dark feelings that still make him interesting. Although he tried to kill himself, he makes a personable impression and you get the feeling that you want to "get to know him better".

In the meantime, the doctor tries to help him, but Jonathan remains stubborn and considers him incapable. In addition, the institutional regime in no way corresponds to his ideas. After a few hours of therapy, Dr. Figure Jonathan's confidence, however. The conversations between the two don't sound like the usual doctor-patient conversations. You can quickly recognize Dr. Figures Intent: He wants Jonathan to help himself because he knows he can. It is not his intention to convince him or to consciously influence him with his ideas. As a result, as a viewer, Dr. Figures personality impresses.

While Jonathan is having therapy, he meets Toby and Rachel.

Toby is also an "inmate" who is still trying to kill himself. He writes somber poems that suggest he has far bigger problems than Jonathan. Over time, Toby develops into Jonathan's best friend, with whom he goes on night outings. Toby tells him about his seemingly unsolvable problems, and Jonathan bails Toby every time he finds himself in trouble.

Rachel is one of those people whose fragility resembles that of a glass. She refuses to contact Jonathan. Therefore, his initial attempts to get to know her better fail. However, Jonathan does not give up and pays her a lot of attention. He appears as her very "personal psychiatrist". He also develops into a contact person for Rachel, but her pain is too deep and her problems are too big.

New Year's Eve symbolizes the high point of the story. After a long time in doubt and indecision, one experiences Jonathans and Rachel's anticipated "happy ending". At the same time Toby makes his hints true and kills himself.

In contrast to Rachel, who falls back into her old scheme and crawls into melancholy with the only way out of suicide, Jonathan is making positive progress. He thinks about how he can free Rachel from her world and implements his idea in a wonderful way. He can convince Rachel not to kill herself and to go on living with him.

Reviews

  • "Director and (co-) author John Carney succeeded in creating a masterpiece that need not fear comparison with ' One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest '." (Www.kino.de)

Awards

  • John Carney won the 2001 Audience Award at the Dinard British Film Festival .
  • The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating particularly valuable.

Web links