Taking a page from the Oldboy playbook, A PACT focuses on
two men for whom an occurrence in their adolescent days leads to a crossing of
paths in their adulthood shadowed by inscrutable, ominous vengeful intentions.
Like the South Korean hit that made deeply troubling psychological warfare
sexy, A PACT weaves a tale involving a seemingly negligible instance of
youthful indiscretion and an apparent time stamped steel trap waiting to be
sprung.
The brief bit of Paul and Georg’s high school days that we
are shown reveals plenty. They are close friends with a few striking
differences: namely Georg’s confidence and ease when it comes to attracting attention
from the opposite sex, including his sweetheart of the time, Anna, as opposed
to Paul’s social awkwardness. As is often the cause of conflict in such cases,
Paul desires what Georg has: namely Anna. On a fateful day toward the end of
school, Paul presents a note to Georg stating Anna’s attraction to Paul. Georg responds with news that he is set to move
to another city with his father, and then strikes up a difficult to decipher agreement
with Paul before setting off with a girl picked at random by his friend for him
to leave the park with; the better to explain his sudden disappearance to Anna
was the rationale produced in their teenaged minds. In the moments that follow,
a path is laid before Paul to pursue his desire for Anna, as Georg would appear
to be gone from his life.
In the present, Paul is an accomplished employee of a
diamond trading firm, nature having taken its course between him and Anna, who
is now his wife and the mother of his two children. To his none too pleasant surprise Georg, that Georg, abruptly returns as his
higher up. Before long the uneasy exchange from that day long past comes
bubbling to the surface sending the two careening down a barbed path. Paul tries to decipher Georg‘s intentions
while the former friend becomes disturbingly entrenched in aspects of his
family’s life.
The majority of the suspense in A PACT is of the mind, as Paul
is consumed by the madness of trying to find out the ‘what’ as well as the ‘why’
driving Georg’s actions. Needless to say, many things are not what they seem. References
to the political climate of the early ‘80s, when the characters were still
students, add an interesting backdrop of paranoia and power struggle to the
scenario. Particularly the banning of punk music, then characterized as
revolutionary by a leery government, informs a significant part of the story.
There are some rather large leaps in likelihood that
challenge the credibility of the story. Upon Paul and Georg‘s discomfiting
reunion, the suggestion of going hunting together may seem like it is for trouble
a bit too callously. While films like Oldboy revel in gleefully excessive
character traits, the reserved manner of A PACT’s ensemble may leave viewers
feeling that the key players should know better. It also makes for proceedings
that at times feel a bit more functional than emotionally gripping.
Then again, there’s Sophie Rois’ chilling depiction of the
adult Georg’s wife, whose friendly chattiness is offset by a stare that
penetrates like the sharpest of daggers.
When she describes herself as someone who ‘teenagers would find
fascinating and love to be around’ it’s with an uncanny sincerity that still
has all the connotations of wolfish intentions lurking somewhere underneath.
The tendency for steely-eyed stoicism over wild abandon also
makes for a very efficient thriller, the result of editing at a level that many
suspense films fail to achieve. Your time will certainly not be trifled with
when sitting down to behold this economical meditation on karma.
A PACT plays as part
of the 2014 Kino Festival of German Films in New York on Friday, June 13,
Sunday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 17 at the Quad Cinema . Visit the website for more details or
to buy tickets.
