Stereo

Played by Jürgen Vogel, Erik Kepler is a man with a past he would rather forget. Keeping face as a motorbike mechanic in a small German village with his lover and potential girlfriend Julia (Petra Schmidt-Schaller), Erik soon finds himself in a familiar sense of trouble upon the arrival of a hooded man (Moritz Bleibtreu).

Stereo provides a rock solid ninety-eight minutes of tense plot twists. Unfortunately however it tends to lack a little in character development and may cause some to struggle sympathising with the two mains despite great performances – especially from Bleibtreu. Dealing heavily in themes of tragedy and mental instability, it would have been nice to see these characters humanised a tiny bit more in order further the emotional impact.

Despite this, Stereo still stands as a very heartfelt story that does not shy away from pulling punches – literally. (MB)

Star Rating: ***1/2