Antikörper (Antibodies)
Written and Directed by Christian Alvart
(2005)
IMDB lists Alvart as the director of the following films
Christian Alvert was born in 1974 near Frankfort in Germany into a very religious Christian family that frowned on TV and films. While he wasn’t allowed to see them he read all about them and when he could finally get to films he went almost daily.
He became an editor and film reviewer of XTRO Filmmagazin but made small films with his friends and wrote many scripts (including Killer Queen which he wrote when he was 16).
He has made to date about 9 films. His first, made in 1999 was a crime horror film called Curiosity and the Cat which deals with a writer who becomes “curious” about the sado masochistic goings on in his neighbor’s apartment. Antikörper is his next film. It is followed by a supernatural horror film in English called Case 39 with Renee Zellweger
Since then Alvart has made 6 more films including the sci fi film Pandorum. and worked in television. Almost of all his films are involved with crime, although some are thriller, horror, or comedic in their approach,
Antikörper is a film which deals with a serial killer not unlike some American horror films like Psycho, Seven and Silence of the Lambs. Interestingly enough, although Norman Bates is in part based on real life serial killer John Wayne Gacey, the film does not really approach the topic as most serial killer films do. The murders are all related and somewhat contingent on one another (it is they occur to protect the killer from exposure rather than the victims being people uninvolved with the last killing.) Silence of the Lambs does not stress the actual earlier killings by Lechter or “Buffalo Bill” but rather the relationship between Hannibal Lechter the murderer and Clarice Starling, the investigator.
In both these films, and several others, the serial killer is the main interest. This raises a question about the way in which the “bad guy” is depicted and made to appear on the screen. In some ways one might argue that the serial killer is in some way glorified by being made sort of “sexy” in the film. This particular problem has been raised with all “anti-something” films. That is to say, can a film really be “anti-war’ if by making a film about war you automatically glorify it by putting it on the screen – that is to say “specularizing” it.
What meaning does the title have for the film?
The film deals with a serial killer who is particularly difficult. There is little doubt that people who have seen Silence of the Lambs will make comparisons, but again, the center of the film is different. Alvart acknowledges the relationship to Silence of the Lambs by “citing” it in the film. Watch for the citations.
Some names and their translations:
The film was shot very quickly because of budget constraints. Sometimes as many as 50 set ups in a day. Alvart believes this was possible because of extrememly detailed pre-production and an extremely able director of photography (Hagen Bogdanski)
AFTER THE FILM
The film certainly invites comparisons with Silence of the Lambs. As was said earlier, they are quite different in many ways. Silence of the Lambs focuses on the relationship between Lechter and Starling, but there is little arc in either of the characters. Antikörper is somewhat different Note the CITATION “Were you expecting Hannibal Lechter” and Gabriel’s sniffing for perfume.
To what does the title of the film refer? Antibodies against what?
Evil is like a virus, what is the antibody?
On whom is the stress in the film? Whose character undergoes and arc?
Does Gabriel change much? Does Police officer Michael Martins?
Film is, by current European standards over acted, European acting is usually very minimal – but not here.
How are the city and country filmed in terms of film techniques?
City and country filmed differently color bleached out of sity scenes. --Country scenes are not.
Where does the horror of the film lie?
What is the nature of the crime? Film stresses sex aspect of the killings. Sex can be violent – contradicts the idea that rape is not a sexual act but a violent one. Nothing indicates these two are mutually exclusive. Interestingly enough while Alvart is knowledgeable about serial killers he has asserted that in addition to animal torture, bed wetting and setting fires there is a fourth common ground with serial killers – they come from one parent (fatherless) homes. He didn’t get involved with it because it was politically sensitive (apparently the sex and violence connection was not).
Martens says good begets good evil can only beget evil;
Can good be perverted? Is Martens?
Can good come from evil? Is Martens made more human through his experience with Gabriel? He is going to kill his son but doesn’t.
City and country filmed differently color bleached out of sity scenes. Country scenes are not.
Where does the horror of the film lie?
What is the nature of the crime? Film stresses sex aspect of the killings. Sex can be violent – contradicts the idea that rape is not a sexual act but a violent one. Nothing indicates these two are mutually exclusive. Interestingly enough while Alvart is knowledgeable about serial killers he has asserted that in addition to animal torture, bed wetting and setting fires there is a fourth common ground with serial killers – they come from one parent (fatherless) homes. He didn’t get involved with it because it was politically sensitive (apparently the sex and violence connection was not).
The script interestingly enough deals in part with the relationship between the police officer Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) with his son, Christian (Hauke Diekamp)
The film certainly deals with the relationship between a police officer and a serial killer who has been arrested.
How does the film open?
Very action oriented. Hard to tell what is happening. Regular police arrive on the scene, there is a naked man, riot police, shot gun firings, people going over the railings and falling, jumps through windows with shattering glass and so on
The next scene is quite pastoral and quiet. What impact does that have on the timing and rhythm of the film? The film needs to calm down to get audience ready for a film with less action than one might expect.
The film looks at the question of the origin of evil. How does this relate to the title? How does this relate to Alvart’s own upbringing?
Engel says “Evil is a virus”. He says he has “infected” Martens.
What religious elements occur in the film?
Pictures painted in blood of crucifixes,
Story of Abraham and Isaac,
Relationship with church etc. Marten’s sits in the front row all the time. Priest speaks about the bad people who attack the righteous and lists the reasons they do it. This is directed at both the parishioners and Martens since he stops the communion to make the statement while Martens is directly in front of him. Martens suffers from the sin of pride – he is very pleased with himself for being called “professional” by full time “city police”.
After his contact with Engel and his “infection” he starts his descent into all the things Engel has raised with him about his “values” starting with his faithfulness to his wife.
Stapling of Marten’s own use of the staple gun as punishment. Both Martens and Gabriel question the nature of the punishment for crimes.
Gabriel also questions the nature of humans by citing which people became famous and which are remembered well and which badly even though they did terrible things. There is a lack of “fairness” in the world.
Questions about the nature of punishment and how does it fit the crime – a question which Engel raises about his punishment for his crimes. Why does he take poison? Is it what he feele he deserves?
Much discussion about the growth of evil, like an illness which is worsening.
Film has shifts in time as well as space. The time shifts are marked by a number of different things. In the scene where the parents of the murdered girl are at the station house, the film expands its depth of field. In the scene where his children go missing, the camera pans up to the sky and returns to the time when he was looking for Flieder. In some instances there are changes in clothing (civilian clothes when he is looking for his own children and police uniform when he is looking for Flieder), He also has a moustache in the flashbacks.
The story of Abraham and Isaac is narrated from “above” a sort of bodiless voice – Godlike – to which Martens replies “Here I am” while looking up. (The helicopter will arrive from the sky with the truth)
What is the character of Martens? What is his relationship with the community Gemeinschaft (community)hich has personal social interactions, and the roles, values, and beliefs based on such interactions vs Gesellschaft (society) with indirect interactions, impersonal roles, formal values, and beliefs based on such interactions. Does his character shift from a “gesellschaft” mentality (which has alienated the community from him to a gemeinschaft one? There are many unanswered questions in the film – certainly one of the more philosophical ones is about the origin of evil which both Engel and Martens seem to feel comes from God himself who created everything (including evil) Why put the apple in paradise anyway? To some degree the horror of the film lies in the questions of the origin of evil, and not sexual repression as is often the case in American horror film analysis.
Do gooder, holier than though, always right (akin to a religious right figure)
Deer (CGI) symbol of some sort of sacred experience a kind of epiphany or revelation.
Helicopter shot at end – word from heaven to stop Abraham and Isaac