source: Effigy: Poison and the City

I am not normally a fan of foreign films as I find the subtitles distracting, but Effigy is different. I watched this movie on the big screen at a local film festival, and the big screen is where it deserves to be seen! As a fan of crime dramas and historical content Effigy Poison and the City had me intrigued from the synopsis. The movie as a whole is wonderful, the creative aspects, the directing and the post production are all masterful. I recommend watching this movie any chance you get, and especially if you can find it at a theater near you!.

Two strong women play convincing roles in the foreground of this real life story. If the murderess and her plot had been invented, this would hardly be credible, it would simply appear overdone. So the disturbing thing is that this apparently gentle but crafty woman, who poisoned around 15 people over several years before being caught, really existed in Bremen. I watched the film in a cinema in a city in Germany, not far from Bremen, and friends from there know the story from local history. In the film, the murderess appears to envy the skills and social standing of her opponent, the young law clerk Cato Böhmer.There are a few understandable interpretations of the killer's motivation and psychological disposition, but by and large her actions remain a mystery, so you get something to ponder about afterwards. Why did she kill so many people and at the same time portray herself as a caring person? The dialogues are enjoyable acoustically, in contrast to many current films, where it is apparently cool to mumble or to accompany the dialogues with loud background noises or music. The specially produced film music, performed by a 40-piece orchestra, is wonderfully composed and fitting to the whole atmosphere of the film. The criminal case is integrated into the technical and economic developments of the era around 1830. You learn about railroad construction in Northern Germany together with impressive historical backdrops. As an interesting detail, the use of a kind of mechanical copier is also shown (a device completely unknown to me). It is a film well worth seeing, not only for fans of historical dialogues. I am already waiting for the next film from Udo Flohr and hope that he will continue to employ such powerful actors.

I liked it because is is a psychological thriller. My husband liked it because of the detailed historical accuracy in costumes and set! It gives you a lot to talk about, with several compelling subthemes (progress, women's rights, psychology, crime investigation). It is also a beautifully filmed movie, with a strangely quiet feel and gorgeous scenery. The tension is on many levels.

That this film is based on a true story greatly influenced my appreciation of it. High marks for presenting the narrative (with feminist angle) so convincingly and artfully. Loved the brilliant performance of the actors, especially the female serial killer and her nemesis. Loved very much the music score. Not so much the subplot which, while adding to the political context, proved too elusive to the average viewer like me. Looking forward very much to another film by Udo Flohr.

Trailer—Effigy: Poison and the City

source: Effigy: Poison and the City

source: Effigie - Das Gift und die Stadt

Two strong women play convincing roles in the foreground of this real life story. If the murderess and her plot had been invented, this would hardly be credible, it would simply appear overdone. So the disturbing thing is that this apparently gentle but crafty woman, who poisoned around 15 people over several years before being caught, really existed in Bremen. I watched the film in a cinema in a city in Germany, not far from Bremen, and friends from there know the story from local history. In the film, the murderess appears to envy the skills and social standing of her opponent, the young law clerk Cato Böhmer.There are a few understandable interpretations of the killer's motivation and psychological disposition, but by and large her actions remain a mystery, so you get something to ponder about afterwards. Why did she kill so many people and at the same time portray herself as a caring person? The dialogues are enjoyable acoustically, in contrast to many current films, where it is apparently cool to mumble or to accompany the dialogues with loud background noises or music. The specially produced film music, performed by a 40-piece orchestra, is wonderfully composed and fitting to the whole atmosphere of the film. The criminal case is integrated into the technical and economic developments of the era around 1830. You learn about railroad construction in Northern Germany together with impressive historical backdrops. As an interesting detail, the use of a kind of mechanical copier is also shown (a device completely unknown to me). It is a film well worth seeing, not only for fans of historical dialogues. I am already waiting for the next film from Udo Flohr and hope that he will continue to employ such powerful actors.

I am not normally a fan of foreign films as I find the subtitles distracting, but Effigy is different. I watched this movie on the big screen at a local film festival, and the big screen is where it deserves to be seen! As a fan of crime dramas and historical content Effigy Poison and the City had me intrigued from the synopsis. The movie as a whole is wonderful, the creative aspects, the directing and the post production are all masterful. I recommend watching this movie any chance you get, and especially if you can find it at a theater near you!.