A Short Review of 'In the Fade' (2017, Fatih Akin)

In The Fade (German Title: Aus Dem Nichts) is a film that I very nearly missed. I literally saw the trailer by chance on YouTube and thought that it could be a decent film to watch. Luckily for me it was shown at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. I definitely can say that it was decent—not particularly great or groundbreaking but definitely very decent and well worth seeing.

The story revolves around Katja, whose rehabilitated and reformed husband and young son are killed in a bomb attack. Initially the Police investigating the crime pursue the wrong direction, believing it to be a revenge-motivated killing by someone from her husband's past, when he used to be a drug dealer. However, after some time, it is discovered that the crime was a racially motivated killing, committed by two Neo-Nazis.

They are both taken to court but after evidence is fabricated by a group of fellow Neo-Nazis from Greece that is used to give the couple an alibi and the defence attorney highlights Katja's drug use and questions her credibility in regards to her evidence, the couple end up acquitted. Distraught by this and having nothing else to live for, she decides to pursue the couple and exact her revenge.

In The Fade has already won a number of awards for its performances and screenplay, including the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, the German Film Award for Best Screenplay, and the German Film Award for Best Feature Film. It has also received a number of positive reviews.

The film, like the awards suggest, display a very well done host of performances, especially from Diane Kruger who plays Katja. This, combined with a well-executed script and the characters' social environment, sees director Fatih Akin (also famous for the 2004 drama Head On, German title: Gegen die Wand) create a very realistic and gritty atmosphere that really pulls the audience into the story. This factor is even further complimented by the film's cinematography, which is very well handled by Cinematographer Rainer Klausmann. It greatly enhances the atmosphere through significantly well thought-out shots and a good usage of handheld camerawork.

Through these factors, we are presented with a story that displays a character that can be very well emphasised and sympathised with. With this, the film creates a number of mixed emotions for both the characters and the audience, including anger, sadness, and despair, all of which accumulate in the films ending and leaves us on a striking note.

In the Fade also highlights a very important issue. In the form of ignorant extremists, Nazism unfortunately still exists whether it be in Greece, Germany, here in the UK, or anywhere else in Europe and the World. One cannot help becoming so angry at these people—so angry, that in some cases we ourselves become the extremist, as shown in the film. The courts do not work so the main character, with nothing else to live for, feels compelled to take matters into her own hands, regardless of the consequences.

But is it the right thing to do? Does what she is doing make her any different from them? Will this fix everything? It is these questions combined with the emotional frustration of the character that makes this a very strong film. I definitely don't think it is as powerful as some other films that tackle the issue of Neo-Nazism, like for example American History X (1998, Tony Kaye), but it still successfully conveys its message through well thought out visuals, realistic characters, and a well structured and executed script, making it an important and unique drama that deserves to be seen.