Black Box

Director: Aslı Özge

Country: Germany, Belgium

Year: 2023

Duration: 120 min

Languages: German, English, Russian, Arabic, subtitled in English

Category: , ,

Life in an old block of flats in Berlin goes on as usual. A long-term unemployed mother waits for a job interview, a man can’t stand the rubbish bins brought under his window from the corner café, and an immigrant couple in a secret affair say goodbye to each other. 

Everyday life is interrupted by a vague police operation that starts out of the blue. Heavily armed officers in balaclavas cordon off a block of flats for no apparent reason, preventing residents from leaving or entering. The inexplicable state of emergency, harsh orders, and restrictions on fundamental rights bring to the surface conflicts, resentments, and prejudices that have been simmering in the community as the true nature of people is revealed.

The drama that foreshadows COVID lockdowns built by Aslı Özge in one apartment building transforms the courtyard and its apartments into a claustrophobic prison that glows with polarisation, hostility and, ultimately, violence. Reminiscent of George A. Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead, the greatest threat begins to grow within the isolated group of people as uncertainty and tension mount. Skilful sound design makes you forget that there is no music in the film.

Joonatan Nikkinen