With her 2013 feature debut ‘Tore Dances’, Katrin Gebbe caused a stir, especially in the arthouse sector, because the disturbing story of martyrdom and redemption literally followed in the footsteps of Lars von Trier (‘Dogville’). in his ruthless character. “Pelican blood“, which premiered in German cinemas in 2020, can be seen today, September 25, 2023 at 10:30 PM on ONE, once again underlining what an exciting filmmaker Katrin Gebbe is.
The best thing about today’s TV broadcast is not only that “Pelikanblut” is shown completely uncut, but also without commercial breaks. So you can really lose yourself in the unusual mix of ‘system buster’ and occult horror. But if you are unable to see the film on TV tonight, you also have the option of simply switching to Netflix, where the film is currently available as a subscription.
That’s what Pelican Blood is all about
Wiebke (Nina Hoss) not only runs his own riding school, where, among other things, police horses are trained so that they can remain calm in extreme situations. She also successfully adopted Nicolina (Adelia-Constance Ocleppo), an Eastern European girl. Her new protégé, five-year-old Raya (Katerina Lipovska), doesn’t make things so easy for her…
The girl smears the bathroom with feces, skewers dead animals and forces weaker children to play ‘doctor games’. And although even neurologists believe that improvement can only occur in a specialized institution, Wiebke simply does not want to give up. Ultimately, in her desperation, she is forced to resort to extreme methods…
A tough film that challenges its audience
In the official FILMSTARTS review, “Pelikanblut” received a good 3.5 out of a possible 5 stars. Chief critic Christoph Petersen writes in his conclusion: “A provocative, challenging drama with a great Nina Hoss that will divide its audience into two camps – at the latest at the end.”
The fact that ‘Pelican Blood’ is often compared to the brilliant ‘System Buster’ is thanks to five-year-old Raya, who can no longer feel empathy or love due to trauma from her early childhood – and often only knows how to communicate about extreme situations. panic attacks. Director Katrin Gebbe combines the family drama with a number of stylistic devices from genre cinema, which leads to that the little girl “sometimes even looks like a possessed ghost horror child or a (young) murderer from a slasher film.”
Anyone who has seen ‘Tore Dancing’, in which a Jesus fan almost voluntarily allows himself to be tortured to death by an allotment family, knows that Katrin Gebbe has no inhibitions about showing extreme scenes. ‘Pelican Blood’ is above all an unpleasant viewing experience that often presents the viewer with moral dilemmaswhich are described in the review as follows:
“Although ‘System Sprenger’ is so heartbreaking precisely because you root for Benni (Helena Zengel) every second for her recovery, Gebbe literally seduces filmgoers into denying the little girl part of her humanity – a defiant provocation.” ultimately leads to a finale that can be perceived as courageous or irresponsible. But one thing is certain: this film will not leave you cold.