Brick review: Everyone may not get Philip Koch’s new film

Film BrickCast Matthias Schweighoumlfer Ruby O Fee Frederick Lau Salber Lee Williams SiraAnna Faal Axel Werner Murathan Muslu WriterDirector Philip KochRating 25Runtime 95 minA high concept horror relationship drama from Germany lsquoBrickrsquo is a film that not everyone may get The film lacks in terms of writing and budget and the concept plays out in gimmicky fashion rather than becoming anything meaningful This film could be categorised as a science fiction thriller with its dystopian world building conceptWriterdirector Philip Koch seemingly sets out to create a relationship drama based on a concept that wouldnrsquot make sense in the real world It is imaginary and works towards egging people on to break down psychological walls and maintain facilitative cordial communicative relations with family friends and neighborsWhat would you do if one day you wake up and find your apartment building surrounded by a brick wallOlivia Ruby O Fee and Tim Matthias Schweighoumlfer are going through a rough patch in their relationship They are a young couple who are still trying to recover from a tragic experience Liv has quit her job as an architect and wants to leave Hamburg and drive to Paris but Tim refuses When she gets ready to leave by herself the next morning she finds herself confronted by an impenetrable wallTim is a video game developer who is too occupied at work and unwilling to take timeoff So they are already at an impasse Tensions reach a boiling point when they find themselves trapped by the mysterious unbreakable wall The duo and their neighbors Ana Salber Lee Williams Marvin Frederick Lau Lea SiraAnna Faal Oswalt Axel Werner and Yuri Murathan Muslu have to find a way out Therersquos no water supply and communication with the outside world is impossible Panic fear desperation set inhellipFrankly itrsquos hard relating to a couple whose problems are imaginary rather than real As Olivia and Tim break down walls we get to know the intimate details of their personal dilemma As they go through different levels more and more details about their conflicts keep tumbling out Do they have the same objectives they started out with or are their individual paths going to diverge Feelings are explored but you donrsquot really experience their weight The writerdirector throws in some red herrings to spice up matters Therersquos also a time when everyonersquos loyalty to each other gets testedTherersquos nothing much to hook you because their problems feel too commonplace The dialogue doesnrsquot convey any depth either The performances are competent but nothing affecting here The dramatic tension flags the pace is inconsistent and tedious stretches of dialogue involving supporting characters get your goatKoch is efficient enough as director but the writing feels a little lame Therersquos a little bit of action and some horror elements are incorporated too but nothing remarkable about it The films compositions and background score give the audience something to work with Anna Drubich Martina Eisenreich and Michael Kadelbach compose a score that augments the oppressive mood Anna Ficus production design manages to make the designs look credible Therersquos a message being conveyed here that all relationships need work and if you have committed to one then you canrsquot shirk the responsibility of communicating with each other to iron out the chinks But the message falls on deaf ears because therersquos nothing really interesting in the film to hold your attention This film about people trapped within a confined space might have worked if it wasnrsquot so gamey and unreal At 95 min it is short enough to be imminently forgettable

Brick review: Everyone may not get Philip Koch’s new film

Film: Brick
Cast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Salber Lee Williams, Sira-Anna Faal, Axel Werner, Murathan Muslu
Writer/Director: Philip Koch
Rating: 2/5
Runtime: 95 min

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Home / Entertainment / Hollywood News / Article / Brick review: Everyone may not get Philip Koch’s new film

Brick review: Everyone may not get Philip Koch’s new film

Film: BrickCast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Salber Lee Williams, Sira-Anna Faal, Axel Werner, Murathan Muslu Writer/Director: Philip KochRating: 2/5Runtime: 95 min

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Latest Photos

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Mid-Day Fast

Film: Brick
Cast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Salber Lee Williams, Sira-Anna Faal, Axel Werner, Murathan Muslu
Writer/Director: Philip Koch
Rating: 2/5
Runtime: 95 min