Michael
2011 · Movie · 96 min · ★ 6.8 · 72% critics
To the outside world, a man lives an ordinary life as an insurance broker. Behind closed doors, he hides a horrifying secret: a young boy kept confined in a soundproof basement, where everyday routines take on a deeply unsettling edge.
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Watch free on Tubi — also streaming on Strand Releasing.
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Details
- Years
- 2011
- Release date
- 2011-09-14
- Language
- German
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Max quality
- SD
- Critic score
- 72/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (144 votes)
About
If you can handle grim, provocative dramas that unsettle through implication and everyday normality, this may work for you; Not for you if you avoid child-abuse themes, bleak tension, or slow, quiet storytelling like Paradise: Faith.
Pros: bold, thought-provoking premise; chilling everyday banality; restrained, non-exploitative approach | Cons: extremely disturbing subject; hard to recommend; emotionally draining pace
Themes
- kidnapping
- cellar
- young boy
- pedophile
- child kidnapping
Awards & recognition
- Max Ophüls Award · 2012
- Austrian Film Award — Best Feature Film · 2012 · nominated
- European Film Award — European Discovery of the Year · 2011 · nominated
Cast & crew
Michael Fuith
as Michael
- DR
David Rauchenberger
as Wolfgang
Christine Kain
as Mother
Ursula Strauss
as Sister
Victor Tremmel
as Brother in law
- XW
Xaver Winkler
as Nephew 1
- TP
Thomas Pfalzmann
as Nephew 2
- MH
Markus Hochholdinger
as Kollege Kantine
- MS
Mika Sakurai
as Tochter
David Oberkogler
as Mag. Ehrnsberger
Directed by Markus Schleinzer