We are the night - DVD

Film: The vampire boom has now spread among German filmmakers. With Wir sind die Nacht, Die Welle director Dennis Gansel now presents a group of attractive German bloodsucker(s), who should prove to genre fans that Germany can also deliver atmospheric and effective horror.

20-year-old Lena (Karoline Herfurth) spends most of her dreary everyday life on the streets of Berlin, where she repeatedly passes the time with petty thefts. In an illegal nightclub she seems to have hit the jackpot when she manages to wrest a few hundred euros from the seductive club owner Louise (Nina Hoss). What Lena doesn't suspect: the money only served as a lure, because Louise, a centuries-old vampire lady, is completely fascinated by the down-and-out girl and wants to make her one of her own. And indeed, Lena is bitten only a short time later and henceforth belongs to Louise's vampire troupe, which also includes the elegant Charlotte (Jennifer Ulrich) and the wacky Nora (Anna Fischer). While Lena is thrilled that she can now do things that would make even the superstar judges flap their ears, she's not the only one. However, she can't handle murdering people - mostly men - to quench the all-dominant thirst for blood. Then, when she develops feelings for police officer Tom (Max Riemelt), who caught her pickpocketing before her transformation, the existence of female vampires threatens to be exposed, with fatal consequences...

Dennis Gansel had been pregnant with the idea for We Are the Night for fourteen years. But it was the success of his film The Wave and, of course, the vampire boom triggered by Twilight that enabled him to bring his bloodsucker story to the screen. However, he insists that We Are the Night is not a German Twilight variant. The film clearly wants to distance itself from the romanticization of the vampire myth. So the attractive vampire ladies are also allowed to pursue all the comforts of life and don't have to suffer through it burdened with world-weariness. As Nora sums it up perfectly: We eat, drink, do coke, and screw as much as we want and never get fat, pregnant, or addicted. What woman doesn't wish for that?

So admittedly Louise and Co. have little to do with the romantic heroes a la Edward. Rather, Gansel tries to return the genre in a modern way to its roots, which lie with Nosferatu in Germany. The opening credits do full justice to this claim. Accompanied by atmospheric music, the viewer embarks on a time travel through Berlin's city history, with Louise and her playmates always present.

Atmospherically, the film is very successful anyway. The magnificently chosen filming locations play a major role in this. Quasi a bloody declaration of love to Berlin, the film takes place in places like the Tiergartentunnel, the Teufelsberg, where the grand finale takes place, the Stadtbad Lichtenberg or the Tropical Island. The set, costumes and colour scheme also ensure that a very good creepy atmosphere is created time and again. The actresses can also convince, whereby especially Jennifer Ulrich, who like Max Riemelt was already seen in The Wave, comes very close to the image of the classic vampire.

We Are the Night is good thanks to the many successful aspects, but truly not perfect. At times the party scenes seem a bit strained and exhausting and the finale comes across as arguably rushed. If Gansel takes an extreme amount of time introducing his characters, especially Lena of course, he then lets the final battle come to an end so quickly. Also, the makers seem to be proud of a very special effect, so they use it over and over again, which leads to certain signs of fatigue and also robs the finale in particular of much of its impact.

However, even if the film has some weak points that tarnish the overall picture a bit, Wir sind die Nacht is a pleasant surprise in the currently somewhat overused vampire genre. Atmospheric, stylish, bloody and well acted, these are the arguments that undoubtedly speak for the film. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The clean and sharp picture captures the atmosphere of the story very well with its good colouring and coherent black levels. The audio is dominated by dialogue and the soundtrack in many scenes, but every now and then good surround effects and ambient noise make for an engaging soundstage. Good!

Extras: We start with a very interesting audio commentary by director Dennis Gansel and screenwriter Jan Berger, who offer deep insights into the making of the story and the film. It is interesting that here the assumption that We are the Night only wanted to surf on the Twilight wave, but is very clearly refuted. In addition to the good commentary, the DVD also includes a making of (approx. 26 min.), a video diary of the director (approx. 20 min.), two alternative endings (approx. 4 min.), a short making of of the special effects (approx. 4 min.), as well as trailers, cast info and program tips from the provider. Overall, a satisfying bonus package that turned out even more extensive on the Blu-ray.

Conclusion: We Are the Night is completely underwhelming in theaters. Even if the film shows some clear weaknesses, this failure is anything but justified. Maybe the German vampire thriller will manage to find its deserved audience on DVD and Blu-Ray. The good technical realization and the decent bonus material are at least further good reasons to take a look here

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp