Die Wand or The Wall is an outstanding film that meditates on the nature of humanity and its relationship with itself and the rest of creation. Hint: humans suck. Die Wand or The Wall’s premise is a woman goes with an older couple to their hunting lodge in the Austrian Alps. After the couple leaves the lodge to go to a nearby village for a drink, the woman discovers that something cataclysmic has happened, and a wall prevents her from leaving the area. She must learn to survive within the wall’s confines and in balance with the living creatures around her. Die Wand or The Wall reminded me of The Turin Horse except it is a lush anti-creation story. Even though Die Wand or The Wall clearly forebodes the devastating denouement, it still left me in tears as I went to sleep and haunted my dreams until I woke up crying.
After I saw Die Wand or The Wall, I did some research because it reminded me of Stephen King’s Under the Dome, which arrived in bookstores in 2009, whereas this movie came to theaters in 2012. Die Wand or The Wall is based on an Austrian novel written in 1963. Now I wonder if Stephen King ever read the novel, and if Die Wand or The Wall also influenced one of my favorite characters in The Dark Tower series, Oy. Either way, Die Wand or The Wall is more merciless and beautiful than its American counterpart, which seems even gaudier in comparison.
I also learned of the concept “premise fiction”: a creative piece that explores realistic reactions to an extraordinary event. I thought that directors like Duncan Jones and films like The One That I Love and Safety Not Guaranteed were daring for creating dramas that explore existential crises using sci-fi premises, but Die Wand or The Wall does more with far less: one amazing actress and narration with little to no special effects.
I would highly recommend seeing Die Wand or The Wall in its original German audio with English subtitles, but I would also warn you that you will be haunted by it long after the film is over.
SPOILER
Trigger warning: animals die.