ARD and ORF show "Wild Republic": hell in the air

Created: 2022-06-02 16:28

By: Michael Schleicher

"Wild Republic" is carried by a strong ensemble.

© WDR/X-Filme Creative Pool/Roy Fochtmann

"Wild Republic" is the name of the eight-part series with Verena Altenberger, Ulrich Tukur and a highly committed ensemble, which can now be seen on ORF, ARD and in media libraries.

You can read why the exciting production is worthwhile in our guaranteed spoiler-free review.

They absolutely want to avoid their punishment – ​​and yet they punish each other all the time.

They have long since set up the jail in which they do not want to go under any circumstances;

their own prison of prejudice, trained behavior and encrusted structures has almost insurmountable walls.

They are each other's judges and executioners - more cruel than they would probably ever encounter in a proper trial: the juvenile delinquents who set off for an experiential education measure under expert guidance in the Alps.

The two months in the mountains are intended to boost the self-confidence of the young women and men and get them in shape for the much-cited “restart” that everyone here so urgently needs.

Not just the youngsters.

"Wild Republic" premiered on MagentaTV

But what begins as a bad-tempered school trip for late adolescents under the eyes of a highly committed social worker who is inspired by the meaning and purpose of her actions, gets

disastrously out of control in

Because suddenly there is a corpse – and the young people flee in panic.

The directors Markus Goller and Lennart Ruff talk about this in their eight-part series, the first three episodes of which are broadcast by ARD in all their discouragement on Friday, June 3, 2022, from 10:15 p.m.

The 45-minute films are already available in the media libraries of Erste and Arte;

The work celebrated its premiere on MagentaTV in April last year.

Markus Goller and Lennart Ruff directed the series

Of course, the story is not new: young people who – for whatever reason – are on their own in a hostile environment know television inside out;

the ZDF production “Sløborn” (2020) is one of the more recent examples.

And, yes, of course, it would have made sense if the creators had thought a little bit more about the title of their series.

But all that doesn't matter anyway, because the directors, their five screenwriters - but above all the strong ensemble - have done a remarkable job with "Wild Republic".

There are several reasons for this.

Goller and Ruff, for example, staged in a wonderfully decelerated manner despite the spectacular natural scenery and plenty of action in the Alps.

They used the time to develop their characters – Goller, who was born in Munich, showed that he can do this in his captivating feature film “25 km/h”.

The characters surprise again and again - whereby no twist comes out of nowhere, everyone acts here in the end in a way that is understandable from the respective biography.

In the process, the team of authors also crumbles the prejudices of the viewers.

Action in the Alps: "Wild Republic" with Verena Altenberger (left) and Emma Drogunova.

© WDR/X-Filme Creative Pool/Roy Fochtmann

Although there are two big names on the cast list in “Wild Republic” with Verena Altenberger, who will be appearing as paramour in Salzburg for the second time this year, and Ulrich Tukur – the directors allow themselves the luxury, the stars in the service of the staging to deliver.

The two appear when it makes dramaturgical sense - and not because they signed for the production.

Lucky.

Because both Tukur and Altenberger design their characters with pinpoint accuracy: there the father, who has taken refuge in the belief that he can solve everything with money.

Here the kind-hearted social worker, tough and empathetic: However, Altenberger gradually defoliates the soul of her Rebecca and finally shows a helpless helper.

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"Wild Republic" keeps the suspense until the end

The films are supported above all by the actors in the roles of criminals, to whom a chapter is dedicated.

The ensemble consistently shows a strong performance, be it in solo scenes or in ensemble playing.

Adding to the fun is the fact that they cleverly subvert the few clichés that have smuggled their way into the script here and there.

Two are representative of the convincing cast: Aaron Altaras, who flashes an endearing insecurity and a wonderfully dry sense of humor in the martial artist Can.

And the best-known of the troupe, Maria Dragus, who in 2009 set an exclamation mark in Michael Haneke's Cannes winner "Dasweiße Band" and has since made even over-ambitious nonsense like "Licht" (2017) worth seeing:

The fact that "Wild Republic" can actually keep the suspense until the end is also due to the convincing camera work by Christian Stangassinger and Jan-Marcello Kahl.

Here every setting is considered, there the drone - lucky!

– not only used because it was found in the technology box.

Above all, however, the two cameramen unobtrusively work out the contrast between the vastness of the mountain world and the narrowness of the human world.

Supported by skilful lighting, we indulge in the most wonderful nature shots before the camera lets us get very close to the faces of the figures in order to actually read them: about the hell they are preparing.

Primarily yourself.