Frenzy

Synopsis

“Paranoia grips the characters and saturates the screen in Emin Alper’s “Frenzy”, a deliberately oppressive parable of a society brought to heel by its fear of terrorism. One of the more topical films of the year, this intense mind-playing psycho-social drama, from the director of “Beyond the Hill,” plunges the viewer into a disturbing state of uncertainty in which two brothers — one a paroled convict secretly recruited to ferret out terrorists, the other hired to kill stray dogs — are sucked into a vortex of state-sponsored distrust. Echoes of the current situation in Turkey and the Middle East come through loud and clear, and while “Frenzy” isn’t an easy sit, it’s certain to see a flurry of fest notices. (…) Visuals are as attuned to this escalating atmosphere of madness as the ever-intense stares of actors Ozgur and Ates. A limited palette of blacks and browns, with shadow often enveloping much of the frame, are pierced by shafts of light that offer no salvation. Little distinguishes nightmare from reality, both equally violent.“ (Jay Weissburg, Variety)

Around The World in 14 Films 2016, presented by Mark Waschke – in attendance of director Emin Alper