Exit II - Transfigured Night

"The rhythm of the film is dominated by a repeated powerful lunge to frenzied speed and twisted postures. Again and again, however, the exit feeling, already marked in the original by discontinuous spurts of violence, collapses into a perplexed pause of the two protagonists Kirchhoff (Hanno Pöschl) and Plachinger (Helmut Berger), who have fallen into a midlife crisis. Already at the beginning, this apparent shortness of breath finds a beautiful counterpart in the narrative: Michou Friesz applauds an artistic pause at a performance of Schönberg's 'Verklärter Nacht' as a finale - and promptly receives a slap in the face from her husband, who seems to be more of a pimp than a husband. In moments like these, EXIT II becomes downright great face cinema." CLAUS PHILIPP

"Only that art can thrive which achieves meaning and impact in its original setting: In ,Exit II ' we move in a structure that we know and yet is symptomatic of other large cities as well." FRANZ NOVOTNY