‘The Wall’ Movie Review – Unsettling Beauty

by Sandrine Sahakians · June 14, 2013

The Wall is based on Marlen Haushofer’s novel of the same name about a woman (Martina Gedeck) who, when vacationing in the Austrian mountainside, finds herself cut off from everything and everyone when a mysterious invisible wall manifest itself around the mountains. With no one but her dog Lynx with her, she begins her journey of survival as she adapts to living alone in her cabin, surrounded by nature.

While I can’t say that I enjoyed the film, I can’t deny its beauty. The concept of The Wall is fascinating, in fact Stephen King’s Under The Dome, uses a similar premise as well as The Luna Brothers’ comic book Girls (which is great by the way!). However, in this case the story focuses more on character study and internal growth, which is where the film loses me. With such a high concept, I hoped for an exploration of the wall itself, its origins, and its effect on the person “captured” within it. Unfortunately, the film focuses more on the woman than the wall itself. While I understand that it might appeal to some, it felt a bit too slow and by the end a bit repetitive for me.

However, if this sort of character exploration is something that appeals to you, there is no denying the film is very interesting and beautiful. Martina Gedeck’s performance is pretty haunting and the film really captures the feeling of isolation that comes from the wall. In fact, I remember feeling very uneasy while watching the film. It’s hard not to wonder how you personally would react if faced with a similar situation. In that sense, The Wall definitely achieves that.

I would say that if the concept and focus of the film seem to be something that would interest you, The Wall is most certainly worth seeing. However, if you are hoping for a broader exploration of the wall itself, you will be disappointed.

The Wall is currently playing in New York and Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Royal in West LA, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Laemmle’s Town Center 5 in Encino. It will expand to additional cities through June.

You can watch the trailer for The Wall below.