Sunday, July 06, 2008

Voleurs de Cheveaux (In The Arms of My Enemy aka Horses Thieves)


This first feature film by Micha Wald is an action full epic drama that tells about violent Cossacks and brutal horse thieves, but does it with such beautiful images that you really wish it didn’t had that much violence as it has.

Set somewhere in a Eastern Europe country in 1856 and divided in three sections Him, Them and The Chase tells about two brothers that crossroads with another two brothers with fatal consequences and all starts when brutal Roman and his younger brother Elias steal the horses from persistent 19-years-old Jakub and his younger brother Vladimir.

This is a truly violent movie that if you can sustain the violence that include Cossack recruits raping a younger recruit and killing with only the hands, you will be able to enjoy some quiet scenes with extraordinary cinematography, slow pace and spectacular takes of “somewhere” woods, water and countryside landscapes.

The movie premiere was at the Semaine de la Critique parallel section of the 2007 Cannes festival. I have never before endured a violent movie like this one and what allowed me to keep watching is the outstanding camera work, framing and cinematography that can mesmerize or better, hypnotize you and make you to keep watching.

This is one of those movies that I have no idea who the natural target is, as is easy to say that men have to like it, but since is so arty I believe that they will want more action and will be totally disgusted by some scenes like the rape. My best guess is that those that like violent arty European movies perhaps will like this movie. I do not suggest this movie to any woman, unless you want to see in many scenes half naked bodies of tough young men.

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