Directed by:
Andreas ProchaskaCinematography:
Thomas W. KiennastComposer:
Matthias WeberCast:
Sam Riley, Tobias Moretti, Paula Beer, Thomas Schubert, Carmen Gratl, Clemens Schick, Helmuth Häusler, Martin Leutgeb, Johannes Nikolussi, Florian Brückner (more)Plots(1)
When the snows come, darkness descends on the valley. It is the late nineteenth century; a stranger arrives in this remote community of alpine farmers. His name is Greider and he has apparently been away in America for some time. Ostensibly a photographer, he announces his desire to stay until winter is over. But this reticent observer, who finds accommodation with the widow Gader and young Luzi, finds himself confronted with the deep distrust of an unwittingly close-knit community.
Luzi will soon get married; although she loves her fiancé with all her heart, she fears this day more than any other. When the youngest son of the wealthy Brenner farmer has a fatal accident whilst cutting wood, and his brother is found dead in the mill stream soon after, the old order in the valley begins to unravel. But there are things you just can't talk about, even if you can't forget them.
Thomas Willmann's novel on which this film is based skilfully weaves the stylistic devices of the rural-based 'Aga saga' into a compelling revenge drama. For her screen adaptation, Andreas Prochaska uses motifs from the western to depict, in archaic images, the silent battle of a community with its own laws.
(Berlinale)
Cast
Sam Riley
UK
Best movies:
Control (2007)
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Maleficent (2014)
Tobias Moretti
Austria
Best movies:
Maximilian & Marie De Bourgogne (2017) (series)
Dem Mörder verfallen - Eine Frau in Gefahr (1999) (TV movie)
Das ewige Lied (1997) (TV movie)
Paula Beer
Germany
Best movies:
Never Look Away (2018)
Frantz (2016)
Diplomacy (2014)
Thomas Schubert
Austria
Best movies:
A Whole Life (2023)
Fog in August (2016)
Breathing (2011)
Carmen Gratl
West Germany
Best movies:
Das Wunder von Wörgl (2018) (TV movie)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Hidden Away (2020)
Clemens Schick
West Germany
Best movies:
Casino Royale (2006)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Das Wunder von Berlin (2008) (TV movie)
Helmuth Häusler
Austria
Best movies:
Das Wunder von Wörgl (2018) (TV movie)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Dead in 3 Days 2 (2008)
Martin Leutgeb
Austria
Best movies:
Winter Sleepers (1997)
The Master Butcher (2019) (TV movie)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Johannes Nikolussi
Austria
Best movies:
The Eremites (2016)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Sisi (2009) (TV movie)
Florian Brückner
West Germany
Best movies:
Line of Separation (2015) (series)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Da geht noch was! (2013)
Heinz Ollesch
Germany
Best movies:
The Protector (2005)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Erwin Steinhauer
Austria
Best movies:
Holocaust (1978) (series)
North Face (2008)
Das ewige Lied (1997) (TV movie)
Hans-Michael Rehberg
German Empire
Best movies:
Schindler's List (1993)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
The Consequence (1977)
Beatrix Brunschko
Austria
Best movies:
The Dark Valley (2014)
A Horse on the Balcony (2012)
Tatort (1970) (series)
Johanna Bittenbinder
West Germany
Best movies:
Line of Separation (2015) (series)
Frozen Sky (2011) (series)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Xenia Assenza
Germany
Best movies:
Der junge Häuptling Winnetou (2022)
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Franz Xaver Brückner
West Germany
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The Dark Valley (2014)
Grave Decisions (2006)
Toni, männlich, Hebamme (2019) (series)
Gerhard Liebmann
Austria
Best movies:
Das Wunder von Wörgl (2018) (TV movie)
Falco - Verdammt, wir leben noch! (2008)
The Bone Man (2009)
Josef Griesser
Austria
Best movies:
Schwabenkinder (2003) (TV movie)
The Dark Valley (2014)
Tatort (1970) (series)
Elisabeth Marmsoler
Best movies:
The Dark Valley (2014)
Un passo dal cielo (2011) (series)