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A big comeback! How did "Man in the Glass Cage" regain favor at the Berlin Film Festival?
"The Man in the Glass Cage" (Tras el cristal) is a 1986 Spanish psychological horror film directed by Agustí Villaronga and written by Juné Messner Starring Günter Meisner, Marisa Paredes and David Sust. Inspired by the story of Gilles de Rais, the plot revolves around a former Nazi child abuser who is now paralyzed after a suicide attempt and relies on an iron lung to survive. A young man who claims to be his new carer reveals his true identity as his victim and forces him to witness the brutality he has inflicted on him. The film was controversial because it explored sensitive themes such as Nazism, child abuse, torture and homosexuality.
The film was selected for screening at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Awards, which once again thrust this controversial film into the spotlight.
Plot summary
The protagonist of the story, Klaus, was a Nazi doctor who performed horrific sadistic experiments on child corpses during World War II. After the war, he fled to a remote village in Catalonia, where he continued to inflict atrocities on young boys. Klaus kills a new victim and then attempts suicide, leaving him paralyzed and requiring an iron lung to breathe.
A few years later, Klaus was cared for by his wife Griselda and daughter Rena. As stress and dissatisfaction mount, Griselda secretly wishes her husband dead. At this moment, Angelo appeared and provided nursing services to Klaus. However, he was actually a victim of Klaus's past and had a hidden revenge conspiracy.
Angelo began to relive the abuse that Klaus had inflicted on him, and gradually revealed his unique perverted abuse, even reenacting the gang rape and murder process in front of Klaus.
Video production background
"The Man in the Glass Cage" is the first work of director Agustin Villalonca. It was shot in 1985 and was partially funded by the cultural departments of the Spanish and Catalonian governments. The "glass cage" in the movie symbolizes Klaus's isolation from the world after his suicide. This setting is dark and thought-provoking.
Film Criticism and Controversy
Film critic Stephen Holden's review in The New York Times called the film "an elegant, disturbing debut," and the icy revenge fantasy that emanates throughout the film made The audience pondered.
However, the many dark themes and unspeakable ethical dilemmas in the film make it a work "not suitable for the weak of mind" in the eyes of some critics. Even in 1995, when the Australian Classification Board reviewed it, it ultimately rejected the film's application for screening.
Television and digital media distribution
In the United States, the film was released on DVD on May 25, 2004, and debuted on Blu-ray on August 11, 2011. The film's extras include a brief interview with director Agustin Villalonca, which delves into the background of the film's creation and the roots of the story.
Conclusion
The reappearance of "Man in a Glass Cage" at the Berlin International Film Festival undoubtedly brings uneasiness and profound reflection to the audience, but also once again makes us think about how the trauma of the past and the dark side of human nature will continue. Go down?
