London Film Festival Preview: The Wall (Die Wand)

Val Phoenix watches Julian Pölsler's adaptation of the Marlen Haushofer isolation novel, screening at the 56th London Film Festival

Anchored by a powerhouse performance from Martina Gedeck (The Lives Of Others, The Baader Meinhof Complex), this atmospheric drama revels in its remote Alpine setting to ask profound questions about what makes one human. Locked away from the rest of humankind by an invisible wall, Gedeck’s unnamed character fights to maintain her humanity via a series of letters that may never be read, documenting her day-to-day existence.

Observing the changing of seasons with a dog and some stray animals to keep her company, she wonders aloud how she will maintain her humanity. Scary in parts and unsettling in the extreme, it’s one that stays with the viewer.

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