What is the most unsavory subject to place at the center of a movie? The Austrian film “Michael,” a calmly sustained study in creepiness, answers this question with an almost clinical look at a pedophile.
Michael, a plain, introverted, bland office worker, keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in a basement in his home. We know this from the first moments of the movie, and we know, by implication, that the boy is sexually abused by Michael.
In choosing this unpleasant subject, director-writer Markus Schleinzer is confronting the horror of its existence: He emphasizes the utter ordinariness of Michael’s world — a comfortable and tidy home, a boring office, a ski trip with friends — the better to ponder the unthinkable gap between that world and the reality of abduction and abuse that is going on beneath the surface.
The source of this exploration isn’t hard to trace. We’ve heard about real-life cases in recent years, including an especially notorious one in Austria, about such exploitation of children.
Any normal person hears about these stories and has a question: How could such a situation happen and remain a secret? It seems impossible that no one could see a monster walking around in plain sight, no matter how careful that monster might be.
So “Michael” perhaps exists to show how a predator could fool his family, neighbors, co-workers. As such, it is a portrait of control, of a very organized man’s need to control extended to a kidnapped child.
The actor Michael Fuith has a nerdy, humorless quality that is possibly more unnerving than a more lurid performer would bring to the role of Michael. You can see how this guy has flown under the radar, not drawing attention to himself as he executes a private crime.
The movie’s very well done. A surprise in the late going leads to an ending that, while apparently cut short, does what is necessary to resolve the suspense built into the situation.
Who would want to see this movie? I can’t answer that, although it is very well made. The phrase “banality of evil” comes to mind, and although that isn’t always an appealing movie prospect, it is an idea to be reminded of now and again.
“Michael” (3 stars)
A controlled, calm study in creepiness, as an Austrian man keeps a 10-year-old child captive in his basement. The subject is unsavory, but the movie achieves its goal of showing how a monster can hide in plain sight in bland, ordinary form. In German, with English subtitles.
Rated: Not rated; probably R for subject matter.
Showing: Uptown.
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