Subject 101
While I'm fine discovering Asian cinema on my own, I still struggle to cover the other continents adequately. Films keep slipping through the cracks, and randomly bumping into gems only makes this feeling worse. Point in case, Tom Bewilogua's Subject 101, a tiny low-budget European genre flick. Based on the poster and random screenshots alone this is a film that should've caught my attention right away, but it didn't even appear on my radar. While I'm happy to have discovered it, it's difficult not to think of all the great films I'm potentially missing out on.
I've been a cinephile for a while now, and though my main focus is Asia I've found favorites in many, if not most of the countries I've watched films from. So far Germany has been a notable exception, and I've struggled to understand why. It's a country that appreciates a good underground scene, but somehow their movies end up a little flat, toothless, and underwhelming. That's not to say Subject 101 is an accessible crowd-pleaser that will boost the prestige of German genre cinema, but it's a film that hit all the right notes for me, which is a first.
Subject 101 is the type of film you don't often see these days. It's a mindfuck that reminded me of films like One Point O, where you're following a protagonist who is slowly losing his mind. As an onlooker you're put more or less in the same position as the lead, meaning it's going to be a confusing and disorienting experience. This is very much by design, so if you're the kind of person who needs a neat conclusion and clear explanations along the way you might want to think twice before having a go at this one. This will no doubt end up being a frustrating film.
A homeless Syrian refugee travels around Germany, looking for work. He ends up in Hamburg, where he sees an ad promising jobs. He applies but can't be enlisted because he doesn't have a fixed address. The woman takes pity on him and makes a call, relaying him to a different company. They hire him, give him a home, and send him to do temp jobs. The first job he gets is a shady pick-up assignment for a security firm. The assignment doesn't sit right with him, but he needs the money, and so he carries on. When he makes the pick-up he gets shot in the shoulder.
Bewilogua didn't have much of a budget to work with, but that didn't stop him from wanting to make a visual impression. And so he went a more maximalist way. Extreme use of color (the harsh red and green palette looks daunting), rapid editing, and expressive camera angles all help to add a bit of extra visual panache. While not entirely successful (some scenes still betray the film's low-budget roots), for the most part, Bewilogua succeeded in his mission, crafting a film with a clear visual identity that aptly reflects the mental state of the main character.
The soundtrack matches the visuals, in that, for the most part, it's very dark, moody, and disorienting. It's aptly supporting the atmosphere and steps its game up whenever the film gets more intense. The only thing I didn't get was the retro-sounding electronic score that surfaced whenever someone was driving a car. It felt very much out of place and the music itself didn't make a whole lot of sense either. It might have been a parody or some other, but this isn't the film for that and it's a returning motive. Luckily, it only popped up a couple of times, the rest of the score was perfectly fine.
Cem-Ali Gültekin is a rather atypical actor. He has an odd vibe, but it works well for his character and he does a tremendous job, especially when his world starts to collapse. The rest of the cast isn't quite on the same level, with some less-than-stellar performances from secondary characters. It's not a real dealbreaker, especially for a low-budget indie film that relies more on atmosphere and stylistic prowess, but it helps if you can look past these things. The bulk of the responsibility rests on Gültekin's shoulders though, so it's a good thing he delivers.
The film starts a little slow, though it's clear from the start that something isn't quite alright and that Gültekin's character is facing some tough times ahead. The build-up is slow but deliberate, but halfway through the walls come down and the second half is way more intense. The interesting thing is that the mystery is kept intact throughout, despite hints being dropped. You'll end up walking away from the film with a rough outline of what happened to the characters but without any specifics or a clear-cut conclusion. It's a bold choice, but one that works very well here.
Subject 101 made me realize how much I miss these types of films. A good old mindfuck that sets out to confuse rather than explain, and doing so in the most maximalist way possible. While there are moments when the film struggles with its budgetary limitations, Bewilogua's talent and creativity overcome these moments swiftly. The result is a bewildering, loud, and extroverted film that left me a little dazed. I'm glad to have finally found my first German favorite. It only took me two decades to find it. I hope it might inspire others, though the iffy (critical) reception doesn't bode well.