Sennentuntschi (2010)
Genre: Mystery
Duration: 110 minuten
Alternative title: Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps
Country:
Switzerland
Directed by: Michael Steiner
Stars: Roxane Mesquida, Nicholas Ofczarek and Andrea Zogg
IMDb score:
6,4 (3.554)
Releasedate: 23 September 2010
Sennentuntschi plot
"The hills are alive with the sounds of screaming"
1973, the Swiss Alps. During a funeral in a mountain village, a young girl is the first to notice a strange but beautiful woman who seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The woman causes the atmosphere in the idyllic village to deteriorate, but who exactly is this taciturn woman?
Actors and actresses
Sennentuntschi
Sebastian Reusch
Erwin
Martin
Albert
Theres Notter
Pfarrer Salis
Dr. Zingg
Stähli
Bibi/Maria
Reviews & comments
Fransman
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- 3028 messages
- 2273 votes
Always thought that the Swiss couldn't be trusted, with those cuckoo clocks and such. Yes, yes, they do something else there in those Swiss Alps. But seriously, I thought it was a blood-curdling masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The oppressive atmosphere of those surrounding mountains, such an isolated community with its superstitions, the primitive conditions, it's all there.
But in fact it is a fine example of a slasher film, a film genre that is not very common in Europe and of which I still think the Israeli film Kalevet is the best example. It also starts very idyllic and there it is a large forest, where things are not all right. In Sennentuntschi the tension is built up nicely. The acting is strong and Roxane Mesquida is especially strong as the sweet and innocent girl who is ultimately in control. The great thing about the story is that, as far as I'm concerned, it never feels forced or far-fetched. But maybe I'm getting too carried away. English subtitles are a must. Those Swiss are incomprehensible, even though my German is more than average, they also speak a peasant dialect.
If you want to stay in the atmosphere of the Swiss Alps: Höhenfeuer or Alpine Fire from 1985 is also beautiful, just as ominous and ominous, but less violent.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87623 messages
- 12889 votes
Small setback.
Potential enough in itself. Nice to see a Swiss (and partly Austrian I think?) horror film. Also always nice when a local legend serves as a basis (instead of just another average genre film in another country). The Sennentuntschi legend is certainly fun enough for some good horror fun.
However, there is something wrong with the film itself. On the one hand, the film is a bit too volatile. The atmosphere is often built up quickly, even though the film lasts almost two hours. Instead, you get some extra plot and a few recaps of the story and confirmation where mystery would have been the better option. There is clearly something wrong with the pace of the film. A little slower and shorter would have been better.
The acting isn't very good either. Mesquida still does okay (as a kind of The Woman), the rest is a bit bland. Visually there are a few nice sequences, but because of the cursory editing the film never really comes into its own visually. The soundtrack was also a bad point, sometimes really bad and corny.
It is a worthy attempt and the design is good, but Steiner falls short as a horror director. I don't know if Switzerland has many alternatives in that area, but as far as I'm concerned, another director could make an attempt with the same intention.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Woland
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- 4809 messages
- 3825 votes
Quite a nice job, this Sennentuntschi. It is a film version of what is apparently a local Swiss legend, and although it does indeed border on horror at times (quite a bit of violence and murder, the supernatural elements, and the flayed end of our goat herders[ /spoiler]) it is more of a mystery-thriller combination with bits of supernatural and crime film. In any case, it's nice to come across a folk tale that goes off the beaten track - the film actually tells two largely separate storylines about the Sennentuntschi and the violence they evoke. She is a woman who is brought back to life by some horny, drunken goat herders through some folk rite, and the first storyline follows the merry adventures of Sennentuntschi and the shepherds. Story two takes place some time later, where an unknown woman who turns out to be the same Sennentuntschi seems to play a mysterious supporting role in a number of crime cases in a Swiss village - and in a kind of Krimi we follow that investigation and what releases it.
To be honest, the film was quite solid with a lot of beautiful Alpine images, but the two separate storylines didn't work very well. The mystery is nice, but at a certain point, despite the somewhat messy narration, it becomes fairly clear what happens next. Although it remains a cool legend, where the Sennentuntschi is mainly the object of violence and rape, and her revenge is therefore quite justified. There is quite a bit of violence and misery involved, but not so much that the horror label on IMDb is quite justified. And well, he doesn't have that on MM either. Anyway, not a standout, but an entertaining film in which the shepherd's story is a bit more fun than the Crimea, but in any case it could all have been a bit shorter.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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