Alexander Ratter surprises us. “FLIGHT INTO DARKNESS” was presented at the Poetic Cinema Festival, which took place in Buenos Aires this past year, and won the award for Best Cinematography. It could have won other awards as well. It is a film outside the context of the entertainment cinema that we are used to seeing. In fact, it does not have the characteristics of an industry film.
There is no point in comparing, but we can say that their intention is different. Rather than the characters, the true stars of the film are the dialogues with traumas and anguish. And that's okay, that delights. It immerses us in an atmosphere that leads us to share the interior of María, who wanders between Vienna and Buenos Aires, immersed in a careful aesthetic, at times hypnotic.
Well played by Martina Greiner, this Maria seems to be unclear about many things, like any of us, and that is the basis of her conflict. The presence of an older brother with whom she seems to have a dependent relationship does not help her much. Nor a friend who appears and disappears.
But the fun of the story is not in the story itself, but in how Ratter tells it. María's intimate thought is just a territory where an intelligent and tasteful camera, accompanied by very successful music, plays to capture our attention. The credits announce that the plot belongs to an old novel by Arthur Schnitzler that I have not read. I doubt it will be more pleasant than this film, which is definitely recommended.
There is another very interesting detail. It is clear that the story allows for many interpretations, and that enriches it, as happened with the films of Michelangelo Antonioni. We hope to see something new from Ratter.