The Ground Beneath My Feet

This is a gripping, tough movie about the bond between two sisters, focused on the the younger of the two, a hard working business consultant, and how the reality around her erodes as her older sister is treated for mental illness. Valerie Pachner's performance is restrained and subtle. The cinematography is superb, bringing your the cold surfaces of chrome-blue hallways and white institutional walls that contrast with the turmoil that grows within the main character's increasingly tortured psyche. A beautiful, rich film.

Valerie Pachner was great in this movie, and I recognised her instantly from her other movie by Terrence Mallick of the same year, "A Hidden Life". Theres an intense lesbian relationship in the movie, but I didnt feel it was central to the plot - like you do with so many other movies that feature homosexual relationships. Alot of people should relate to this movie, anyone who has strived to do something against difficult personal circumstances.

A precise film about meaning of life. About work and the steps of profesional succes. About family and the option about priorities. About rivalries, life, falls and fragil balance. And, sure, about abyss, long chain of insecurity and fears anddesire of control, and ignored other. A well crafte story, beautiful performances and direct message.

Excellent Austrian drama film on schizophrenie, depression, burnout, family issues, capitalism, sexism. A workaholic and anxious top-level white collar specialized in reorganizing companies and selecting people to fire deals with her stressful work goals and routine while needs to split her attention in order also to guard her older sister who had a suicide attempt and suffers from serious psychiatric disease. Besides well acted and well directed, the movie impresses for its quite good script, which I will no detail in order not to give spoilers. It shows very carefully the way the main character sees everything that deviates her from her career as a burden, including her sister and her own health.

If you like female nudity, lesbian sex scenes and high heels then this film is for you. If you want a clear narrative and satisfying ending then perhaps not. Early on I suspected I was watching a Hitchcock influenced tale and the set up suggested there was a mystery to be solved. I was wrong. Overall I enjoyed this film, thought it was well shot in a Michael Haneke sort of way and the acting was compelling. I just felt the narrative lacked focus (is it a thriller, is it a lesbian love story, is it a critique of corporate life, is it a comment on mental health issues?) and the ending felt somewhat flat.