“The Third Man meets Se7en amid the chaos of post-First World War Vienna in atmospheric serial-killer thriller Hinterland, a welcome return to the limelight for director Stefan Ruzowitzky some 13 years after his The Counterfeiters landed the international Oscar. Built around a powerhouse performance by Murathan Muslu as a battle-scarred veteran enmeshed in a nightmarish murder-mystery, the film imaginatively deploys green-screen technology to conjure off-kilter visions of the Austrian capital a century ago.”
— Neil Young, Screen Daily
“Shot almost entirely on blue screen, this return to Expressionist cinema impresses with its boldness…”
Jay Weissberg, Variety
“This immersive and wildly imaginative crime thriller thrives thanks to
director Stefan Ruzowitzky’s bold vision. “
Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia
“Dazzling digital visuals are a key selling point for this stylish
retro-noir serial killer thriller.”
Stephen Dalton, The Film Verdict
“Stylish noir thriller…evocatively seedy but highly enjoyable murder mystery.”
Meredith Taylor, Filmuforia
SYNOPSIS
Winner of the Audience Award at Locarno International Film Festival and from the director of Oscar-winning film, THE COUNTERFEITERS, comes this visually audacious work of Expressionistic cinema. HINTERLAND brings the visual style of post-WWI classics like THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI to the 21st-century through almost exclusive use of blue screen technology.
The year is 1920. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has fallen and what remains has devolved into social unrest and political turmoil. Peter Perg, a soldier of the Great War, returns to Vienna only to realize the place he once called home is now unfamiliar to him. Having spent years as a prisoner of war, Perg is disillusioned by this strange, new city distorted by the nightmares of war. His world is further upended when a gruesome series of murders targeting veterans begins to unfold. Feeling connected to the victims, Perg decides to investigate the mysterious crimes. A stranger in his own city, the looming threat of a serial killer begins to take its toll on him.
