Margot (Luisa Taraz) and her husband Dieter (Frederik von Lüttichau) inherit an old castle and they visit it to decide whether or not they should keep it. After arriving at the castle, the strain on the couple’s relationship becomes apparent and the more they explore, the wider the gap between them becomes. As Margot is seduced by the castle, Dieter becomes increasingly frustrated with his wife leading to a violent confrontation.
I’ve reviewed a lot of films in my time but this is one of the hardest, purely because saying too much about it will hugely spoil it. I’m going to do my best to skirt around what happens without giving any major spoilers. What I can say is that the film you think you’re watching is not at all what’s actually unfolding. Around the mid-point, there’s a bit switcheroo that completely transforms the story being told and forces you to see everything in a completely new perspective. It’s very clever and unexpected, and that’s definitely part of the charm of the film.
In the second half, things change significantly and while the film is still centred on a couple, it’s a different couple to the one that you think is the central focus. That gives way to another story entirely that spans a longer time span and reframes everything you see in the first half. It also delivers a much wackier film involving orgies, drugs, parties, decadence and built up tension that puts one couple into an endless cycle of repeating their mistakes in the hope that they eventually learn how to break it.
Director KevinKopacka admitted after the film that the trip you see the cast go on isn’t unlike the trip the actual cast and crew went through while making it. It must be said that his cast go all in. Jeff Wilbusch as Gregor is a particular standout and I thought the performance of Luisa Taraz as Margot was very strong too. Honestly, there was no weak link in the cast so all involved should be applauded.
‘Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes’ is incredibly ambitious and for the most part it succeeds. For me, it doesn’t come together quite as well as I hoped and it certainly left me with plenty more questions than answers. That being said, I left the film thinking about it a lot and I’m already interested in seeing it again as I believe another viewing will be a completely different experience.
Cast: Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Frederik von Lüttichau, Luisa Taraz Director: Kevin Kopacka Writer: Kevin Kopacka and Lili Villányi Certificate: 18 Duration: 73 mins Released by: Crossbones
[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]
