When you think of the Western genre, the first thing that comes to mind is men with revolvers riding horses through the prairie. Women are marginal figures or helpless victims who need to be saved. However, Martin Koolhoven’s Western Brimstone is primarily concerned with the Helplessness of women in a patriarchal society, except that they can only save themselves. The atmospherically dense and cruel western thriller is running tonight on TV.
TV tip on Saturday: What is the dark western Brimstone about?
At the end of the 19th century, the mute obstetrician Liz (Dakota Fanning) lives with her family on the outskirts of a small town hard but happy life. When Liz attends a complicated birth, she decides independently for the life of the woman and against that of the child, which incurs the wrath of the residents. But not just that. The new priest (Guy Pearce) also seems to have his sights set on Liz. She is convinced that he only came to punish them.
Movie star
In Brimstone, the threat is always felt
Brimstone mixes bloody horror elements with strong characters
Brimstone’s strength lies in incredibly dense atmosphere, which leaves room for speculation. Are we dealing with supernatural forces or is evil a purely earthly threat? Who is this here? Wolf in sheep’s clothing and what motives guide the characters?
In four non-chronologically told chapters, Brimstone slowly unravels his story –
slow, but not boring. On the contrary, in some scenes the FSK 16 approval is surprising, because it bloody horror elements have it all. These don’t seem like gimmickry, but rather fit skilfully into the brutal reality of the Western.
In the film review on FILMSTARTS, Lutz Granert writes:
Koolhoven makes his Dislike of Christian fundamentalism no secret – instead of relying on a glorified and maudlin Wild West romance, he often practices his own Genre provocations that skirt close to grindhouse always also criticism of a patriarchy that only grants women the role of submissive wife or whore with no rights.
Although Koolhoven takes a lot of time to develop his characters, during the proud running time of no lengths for two and a half hours. The mixture of thriller, drama and western unleashes a pull that has it all.
When will the western shocker Brimstone be on TV?
3Sat shows Brimstone on today Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 11:00 p.m. Unfortunately there is no repeat, but you can buy or rent the western as a stream on Amazon Prime Video at any time.
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