Australia's Best Movie Magazine

Film reviews

The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

search the site

Enter search term:

newsletter

Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter

Enter search term:

North Face (Film)

by Tanya Doyle | February 15, 2010 16:32 | Edited February 23, 2010 14:05

While the film’s social context is not sufficiently explored, this remains a compelling and heartfelt cinematic retelling of an epic journey

Based on a true story, North Face tells the gripping tale of two Bavarian life-long friends and keen climbers, Toni (Benno Furmann from Joyeaux Noel and Speed Racer) and Andi (Florian Lukas from Goodbye Lenin!), who strive to conquer the notoriously sheer face of Mount Eiger.

 

With the story unfolding in 1936 Berlin, the Nazis are naturally eager for a German team to conquer the foreboding Mount Eiger, seeing it as a major opportunity to stoke up a little positive, heroic publicity for The Third Reich. Toni is reluctant to participate in this potentially suicidal mission bankrolled by the Nazis, but falls victim to an inspirational talk from his more daring friend, and eventually makes his way to the mountain.

 

Featuring the breathtaking landscapes of Switzerland (the film won Best Cinematography at the major German film awards), North Face depicts Mother Nature at her most brutal, as Furmann and Lukas dangerously undertake the near-vertical climb of Mount Eiger. Along with this nail-biting journey, the film also squeezes in a fictional love story between Toni and photojournalist Luise (Johanna Wokalek from The Baader-Meinhof Complex).

 

Watching this tightly wound, richly dramatic and excruciatingly intense film is near agonising, and witnessing the central characters either overcome or crumble under the weight of their mental and physical limitations is both rewarding and tragic. Although director Stolzl (who has created video clips for the likes of Garbage and Rammstein, and is the son of respected historian and politician Christoph Stolzl) successfully brings the audience to the edge of their seats, the link of Nazi ideology to the climb is never fully or satisfyingly explored, and the central love story is underdeveloped. That said, these are minor detractions, as this is a compelling, heartfelt film which brings an inspirational true story to life in an admirably cinematic fashion. It may also pique interest with people currently enjoying the Winter Olympics.