‘The Wall’ traps woman in existential isolation

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Thursday, August 15, 2013 8:28am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Everybody bumps into an existential block now and again. They just don’t generally experience the literal THUNK encountered by the protagonist of “The Wall.”

The unnamed character, played by Martina Gedeck, wakes up in her friends’ Alpine hunting cabin, only to discover the friends still absent from a hike the previous day. Accompanied by their dog, she walks along a pretty lakeside road and abruptly face-plants into a transparent, all-encompassing force field. She can’t go farther.

Spoiler alert: If you seek science-fiction explanations for such roadblocks, you will be disappointed. What we have here is a pure kind of abject isolation, as Gedeck discovers her enclosed world includes a large swath of nature, a bevy of animals, but no other humans — and no way out.

After her initial adjustment, she learns how to manage her food supply, hunt for deer and shed her fierce I-ness in favor of a newly conscious connection to the world. If that description makes the movie’s theme sound as transparent as the all-encompassing wall, fair enough, but the execution is suitably lyrical.

This set-up predates Stephen King by a long chalk: “The Wall” is adapted from a well-regarded 1963 novel by Austrian writer Marlen Haushofer. That’s the era of “The Twilight Zone” and “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” works that bear some resemblance to its single-premise study of how catastrophe might force an awareness of what it really means to be human.

On that score, “The Wall” is absorbing, as Gedeck passes through the changing seasons and stupendously pretty Alpine scenery. (The dog, too — and dog lovers, please pack Kleenex.)

Director Julian Polser rests the concept on the strapping shoulders of Martina Gedeck, the star of “Mostly Martha” and “The Lives of Others.”

Completely deglamorized here, Gedeck makes a thoroughly believable transition from awkward egotist to focused deerslayer, albeit one with profound, conflicted musings on her lonely place in the universe.

The film has a few strands of dialogue, but mostly we’re in tune with the protagonist’s voiceover narration, which Gedeck speaks in English for this export version (a wise move, given the torrent of words on the soundtrack).

The cliche that movie narration is a weakness is nicely rebuked by Gedeck’s voice and the genuinely thoughtful observations that fall as gently as the first snow of the Austrian winter.

This sort of movie requires a delicate “touch,” and Gedeck and Polser have found it.

“The Wall” (3 stars)

A woman (Martina Gedeck) finds herself sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible wall, forcing her to roam some acres of Alpine hills and revert to a primal place in nature. Adapted from a novel by Marlen Haushofer, this movie gets real power behind its “Twilight Zone” tale of existential isolation.

Rating: Not rated; probably PG-13 for violence.

Showing: SIFF Cinema Uptown.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.