Tore tanzt (2013)

Tore tanzt: Directed by Katrin Gebbe. With Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Alexander Gersak, Annika Kuhl, Gro Swantje Kohlhof. Inspired by horrifying true events, Nothing Bad Can Happen follows Tore, a young lost soul involved with an underground Christian punk movement who falls in with a dysfunctional family who test his seemingly unwavering faith.

“Itu0026#39;s rare to find a film which manages to disturb and horrify without ever being exploitative or using cheap shock tactics like youu0026#39;d see in the August Underground movies but Nothing Bad Can Happen manages to do exactly that. I came away from the film feeling drained and disturbed in a way that I havenu0026#39;t felt since Pascal Laugieru0026#39;s Martyrs which should certainly ring alarm bells if you canu0026#39;t handle upsetting subject matters in your films. Although Nothing Bad Can Happen is undoubtedly a superb piece of filmmaking, itu0026#39;s something I wouldnu0026#39;t recommend lightly due to explicit sequences involving abuse of all kinds and cruelty to animals.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film follows the true events surrounding a young self-proclaimed u0026#39;Jesus freaku0026#39; called Tore who happens to have some form of autism which makes him think and act very differently to others. Tore places all of his faith in Jesus Christ and is naively taken in by a truly evil family who take advantage of his absurdly good nature. Itu0026#39;s a fascinating meditation on evil in society and the dangers of religion. Despite being a truly gruelling watch, Nothing Bad Can Happen never gratuitously relishes in the violence and is always focused on delivering a powerful message. The fact that these events are true makes the film all the more relevant and important.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFirst-time director Katrin Gebbe shows astonishing confidence behind the camera. Despite the ugly subject matter, the images always try to find beauty and light through the bleakness. Thereu0026#39;s a hypnotic sense of realism to the whole film which reminded me of Justin Kurzelu0026#39;s equally uncompromising Snowtown. The acting from the unknown cast is similarly impressive, particularly breakout star Julius Feldmeier in the lead who manages to make Tore an engaging and sympathetic main character. Sascha Alexander Gersak also feels toe-curlingly real as the malevolent patriarch determined to break Toreu0026#39;s Holy spirit.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYou could easily mistake Nothing Bad Can Happen as being the lost film in Lars Von Trieru0026#39;s u0026#39;Golden Hearts Trilogyu0026#39; which correspondingly follows mentally-challenged protagonists as they battle through lifeu0026#39;s brutal hardships. Itu0026#39;s just as tough to watch as seeing Emily Watson getting stoned by feral kids or Bjork dancing through life despite desperately trying to raise enough money for her sonu0026#39;s operation. Itu0026#39;ll be too much for some people and it does get worse as the film progresses but the reason I watch films is to be moved and provoked by some sort of emotional response. Nothing Bad Can Happen does this in spade loads.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a haunting piece of work which will bury itself under your skin and stay there long after the credits roll. Itu0026#39;s a torturous watch at times but it carries an important message which is extremely relevant to society today. The pacing is very slow at the beginning but itu0026#39;s also immersive and character-focused meaning that itu0026#39;s easy to engage with. There was not one moment where I was bored or distracted in its 110 minute running time. Itu0026#39;s a heart-breaking watch which will shake you to your core. A stunning debut but proceed with caution.”