Hysteria - English subtitled
German thriller about the discovery of a burnt Qur’an on a film set. The crew is thrown into turmoil and intern Elif is drawn into a dangerous web of secrets, accusations and lies.
Elif’s troubles begin when she is made responsible for safeguarding the footage of the burnt Qur’an. The footage is part of a film about one of the most serious racist incidents in post-war Germany: the 1993 attack by far-right skinheads on a Turkish migrant family, in which five people were killed. Elif soon becomes the centre of the controversy sparked by the burning of the Qur’an. Whilst doing her best to ensure the film’s production continues, she is simultaneously trying to save her own skin. After all, she is at the start of her career and does not want to jeopardise it straight away.
Hysteria is cleverly constructed and features an outstanding lead actress. On the one hand, the film is a political drama about dealing with religion and migration, and the political correctness surrounding these themes. On the other hand, it is a thriller in which the tension and paranoia continue to mount. It is only in the final act that we discover who the culprit is in this whodunnit. (jc)