Mysteria - DVD

Film: Once upon a time, Aleister (Robert Miano) was a successful and celebrated screenwriter. But his days of fame are long gone. Now struggling for every word, he simply can't get ahead with his latest work, while his client (Billy Zane) is breathing down his neck with a frighteningly short deadline. But when he becomes involved in the murder of a politician's wife, Aleister finds the inspiration he needs for his new screenplay from the mysterious story. But the deeper he delves into the case, the more suspicions harden that he had something to do with the murder.

Mysteria is no uninteresting thriller. The story about a fallen screenwriter who apparently foresaw a murder in his dreams and who is put through the wringer by a tough cop (Michael Rooker) definitely has its moments. Convolutedly told and bathed in bleak imagery, the film certainly manages to build a suspenseful atmosphere. But director Lucius C. Kuert, who delivered his feature debut here, had too high ambitions, which his still immature skills as a filmmaker just can't live up to. It may be that he was a bit overwhelmed with the film's multiple responsibilities as director, screenwriter, producer, and editor, or that he simply lacked the necessary distance as a result to realize what went wrong with the production. The fact of the matter is that Mysteria quickly squanders all of its potential, which is certainly there.

That this is due to Kuert is evident by the fact that even acting pros like Danny Glover, Martin Landau, and Michael Rooker deliver surprisingly wooden performances. Especially with Glover, the dialogue sounds merely recited, but this can be blamed primarily on the script. Another problem is that the story would like to be extremely clever. But for those who know a little about the genre, the outcome of the story and the big surprise twist will quickly become clear.

Mysteria has potential, there's no denying that. But despite a good cast and engaging visuals, the film too obviously lacks a good script and more solid direction to steer the viewer entertainingly through the muddled but not uninteresting story. If you like convolutedly told mystery thrillers, you can definitely give it a look. But who is looking for real suspense, good dialogue and clever twists, which could be quickly scared away by the mysterious dreams of the aging screenwriter.

Picture + Sound: Since for the test only a data-reduced press sample was available, about the final image and sound quality, but also about the German dubbing at this point no rating can be given.

Extras. Except for the trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider, the DVD has no other bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Mysteria is obviously striving to be an original and above all clever thriller. With Danny Glover or Michael Rooker well cast in supporting roles, the DVD premiere has good prerequisites for exciting mystery entertainment. Unfortunately, the story is crushed by the ambitions of filmmaker and screenwriter Lucius C. Kuert and thus quickly sinks into mediocrity. Some successful moments only help to a certain extent, unfortunately. Those interested in small original thrillers can risk a look, but should rather do so with the rental version for now

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp