Fantastic Fest Review: Rammbock
Let's face it: Zombie movies can be stumbling messes with running times that are so lengthy that many genre film festival programmers and fans want a break from the subgenre. It's not that I don't like zombies, but when it comes to celluloid it's zombie overkill. However, when a film as tight as writer Benjamin Hessler and director Marvin Kren's Rammbock comes along, I'll definitely make an exception. The film clocks in at 61 minutes due to pressure from the producer to keep the budget down and a format that would be conducive to television broadcast in Germany. Yet the story engages viewers so quickly and keeps a steady pace that my only complaint about the brevity of Rammbock is what happens in the next chapter of this story.
The central protagonist of Rammbock is Michi (Michael Fuith), who becomes a reluctant hero by being at the wrong place at the right time. Just as he arrives for a surprise visit to his ex-girlfriend's apartment in Berlin to rekindle their romance, a zombie outbreak occurs. Instead of finding Gabi in her apartment, Michi encounters repairmen in her apartment, one of whom has been infected. Michi winds up trapped in the apartment with the younger and uninfected repairman Harper (Theo Trebs). The pair soon discover other survivors within the apartment complex, and begin communicating to others across the courtyard. Some folks are in need of help, and promise food to Michi and Harper if they can help. Others make a desperate attempt to escape, only to be ravaged by the fast-moving zombie hordes who are attracted to noise and activity. In the meantime, Michi just wants to find Gabi and make things right.
The character development and casting decisions build a strong foundation for Rammbock. Michi and the actor who portrays him are not the typical love interest and leading man, but much like another Fantastic Fest feature, Fatso, the character endears himself to viewers. Despite his initial reluctance to help, at heart Michi is a self-sacrificing and loyal person. Some of the most effective scenes that demonstrate what the neighbors are experiencing take on a Rear Window aspect, with little to no dialogue. The audience is given a voyeuristic view of Manni, the large muscular man across the courtyard who the neighbors assume will be able to provide help. However, we quickly see that after being infected Manni is weak at heart, choosing to take his life rather than face the inevitable progression of his illness.
Special effects provide enough gore to convince and satiate genre fans, but not so much to overwhelm the plot of the story. At times the zombies provide darkly humorous moments -- the sight of elderly neighbor Frau Bramkamp shambling about her apartment seems harmless enough until she nearly enjoys Michi and Harper as an afternoon snack.
The premise created in Rammbock of how the zombie virus spreads and can be controlled is rather simple, and it works well without overthinking. There's not much exposition, but it's not really warranted. No elaborate explanation as to where and how the illness came about, how or whether will it be cured -- this story is a snapshot of one person and those around in on the day of the zombie outbreak. In that manner it stylistically resembles one of my favorite apocalyptic tales, The Miracle Mile. Perhaps Hessler and Kren can be convinced to provide those answers in the next chapter, with Harper as the protagonist. As much as I enjoyed Rammbock, I certainly would enjoy seeing how the story could progress.