Germany, Austria
4 OUT OF 4 STARS
"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
Director Lukas Miko peels apart a father's deception so carefully that the audience will easily miss the truth. From son Marco's viewpoint, his father is constantly driven away by his mother's nagging. There is obviously more to her aggravation than Marco is privy to, and it becomes easy to make a modern day assumption for his cowardice.
Cinematographer Martin Gschlacht films the snowy German landscape beautifully, capturing a physical icy separation between truth and confession. Despite the boy's attempt at shattering the frozen connection that bonds his family, the spring thaw comes too late.
First-time director Miko envelopes an intriguing story in a beautiful landscape, creating a lovely example of dramatic filmmaking.