Wreckers - DVD

Content: Dawn (Claire Foy) and David (Benedict Cumberbatch) move to the country near David's old home village. Here they plan to renovate an old house and create a cozy nest for a small family. But starting a family doesn't quite work out, which puts increasing strain on their relationship. Into this tense situation place unannounced David's brother Nick (Shaun Evans), who has deserted from the army after traumatic experiences in Afghanistan. His appearance opens up old wounds for the brothers and also increasingly draws Dawn into her husband's dark past.

Wreckers is a small, quiet indie drama from 2011 that is now finally available in Germany due to Benedict Cumberbatch's ever-increasing popularity. Director D R Hood has staged a drama with small thriller elements that gets by with few words and completely avoids striking scenes. Most things are only hinted at or expressed in the facial expressions of the characters. Thus, even at the end, some questions remain unanswered and thus the film leaves some room for different interpretations.

The film thrives on its strong actors, but also on the very special visual aesthetic with which Hood is able to captivate her audience. In doing so, she succeeds brilliantly in building up an engaging idyll that she gradually exposes as extremely deceptive. Although the story itself is rather conventionally knit, the staging at the end leaves the audience surprised by how the events and characters have developed.

For lovers of small arthouse dramas who place great value on atmospheric density and good actors and can do without a fast-paced production in return, Wreckers is a film absolutely worth seeing, despite a few lengths. On the other hand, those who generally have a hard time with somewhat unwieldy narrative pacing might feel something like slight boredom after a while.

Picture + Sound: The picture captures the film's intriguingly undercooled mood very well. The sharpness of the image is at a very high level and allows even smaller details to show up well. Colors are atmospheric and emphasize the film's engaging imagery. The audio is very restrained overall, but provides a positive overall impression with an atmospheric soundscape. Good.

Extras: Unfortunately, the DVD has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Wreckers is a small, quiet drama that leaves much unsaid and relies primarily on dialogue and the strong acting of its cast. If you like quiet, unexciting British dramas with light thriller elements, this early work in Benedict Cumberbatch's career is not to be missed. The DVD presents the TV production in good picture and sound quality, unfortunately there is no bonus material. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp