I think it' all could be set up fpr a sequel, tho don't know if that will ever happen.
See that was something I hadn't even thought of, David asking Nick for the baby...
Does this impact on what happened at the end?
That is, what do we all think REALLY happened to Nick?

Er, I thought David bumped him off...

No neither do I, one of the 3 possible outcomes for Nick!

So who does the ' Wreckers' refer to, do we think?

Yes, I think parents screwing kids up, is at least part of it...

I looked around the internet a few days after watching this film to see if there was any kind of interview about it. Luckily I found a group interview with the writer, Benedict and Shaun. I wanted to do this before commenting on the film because I will have to admit that I was a little confused about this piece. 

I have not seen many independent films and am somewhat unfamiliar with the feel of this type of filmmaking. The story itself was more of a set of vignettes or at least that is how it seemed to me. Almost as though it was a patchwork of emotional experiences for each of the characters.

When this film was done I had a strong emotional reaction to it, but found that I was also not clear on the purpose of the story. I had to reflect on it for a few days and afterward I wanted to get some insight from those involved with it - hence my searching for the above mentioned interview.

I saw immediately a very strong love between the brothers, but that love was tempered with a tension that was palpable yet ill-defined. As the story progressed we hear David tell Dawn that Nick pushed their mother down the stairs. It is clear that Nick has emotional issues stemming from PTSD, but there also seems to be a sadness associated with the loss of innocence. That is no more clearly shown than when he is listening to the music box. The sheer childlike wonder on his face transforms the character from a truly rough around the edges hardened man who has seen too much adversity in life, to the innocence of a young child.  

As the story progresses we can not help but see both of these brothers through the eyes of Dawn. As she learns more about Nick she comes to form a bond with him, in that she begins to see the man underneath the pain of his circumstances. Part of that understanding comes as she sees David deal with Nick’s sleep walking and night terrors, and how he handles the flashback he experiences on their way back from the pub.

David’s character went through a metamorphosis during the course of this film. He is at once presented as a loving husband and a nurturing brother to a troubled sibling, but that soon changes. We begin to see the anger and violence hidden beneath the surface. The first clear indication I saw to this was the look on David’s face at the pub when Nick comes out in Dawn’s dress and sings karaoke with her. You could almost feel the animosity rolling off of him. That was the turning point for me when looking at David. There was something darker below the surface there. We find out that the brothers were abused as children and that abuse was more than just the beatings told to Dawn by the elderly neighbor. Nick makes a comment about sexual abuse as well. The thing that was so intriguing about David’s character was that despite these glimpses of his darkness there, he was still extremely protective of his brother. Near the end it was revealed that, that protectiveness had a strong element of controlling Nick. I don’t really think that was clear in the interactions between the two.

When Nick and David fought at the BBQ and Nick revealed that David was the one who pushed their mother down the stairs I found that revelation shocking mainly because my first instinct was that Nick was lying, but David didn’t contradict him. As it turned out the only character in the whole film who didn’t lie was Nick. I found that to be a very interesting because Nick was this polarizing force that came into David and Dawn’s life and turned everything upside down. He started out being viewed by Dawn and thus by the audience as the antagonist, when in reality it was David who harbored the darkness.

Overlaying all of this was the truth of David and Dawn’s love for each other. Dawn may have cheated on David but it was abundantly clear that she held no loving feelings for the other man (Paul I think his name was). Her heart rested with David. She ultimately is the one who drove Nick away by telling him that David hated him. She needed to get Nick out of the picture so that she could try and get back to the life she was living with David before Nick showed up at their doorstep.

What complicated everything was the pregnancy. This is where you see David’s love for Dawn at its most compelling. He knows that she has cheated on him because she is pregnant, but he wants her to be happy. She wants a baby and he couldn’t give one to her. He wants so desperately to be a family with her that he is willing to accept this child as his own regardless of its paternity. 

I think that in the end when they pass by the other couple and Paul holds the baby, David can clearly see the look in his face. He wanted another child with his wife, but she didn’t want another. Paul knows that David is sterile so he knows that this baby is his. David sees that in his eyes. 

In that interview the writer said that two different endings had been filmed; one was a happy ending and one was dreadfully terrible and both of these hinged on David realizing who the father was. In the end they decided to use neither ending so that it left the outcome up to the viewer. I think that was a good choice.

The concepts in this film were deep and emotionally difficult, so a happy ending would have rung as false to me, while the alternative would have disturbed me greatly. I preferred the open ending. I have never really cared for horrific endings. I remember watching The Wicker Man and the ending of that film made me wish I had never watched it. I hate those kinds of endings. You become invested in the characters and you want to see them win in the end. 

In the case of Wreckers you become emotionally invested in all three characters, but as a viewer I am certain that most of the audience wants to imagine that David and Dawn made their life together as a family work. 

So big long review of the film, but did I like it?

I don’t know.

It has me thinking about it, but I’m not sure I could watch it again. I know for a fact that my kids will not be allowed to see it until they are old enough to not be living here. There are far too many adult situations and difficult to grasp concepts to deal with, not to mention all the sex. The problem I had with the sex aspect of the film was centered on the situation between Dawn and Paul. What we saw was a woman who was allowing this to happen to her, but wasn't really taking part in it. Maybe this is because she wanted to get pregnant and couldn’t with David, but the fact that this happened on the floor next to a bed made it very impersonal.

The look on Dawn's face hit a real chord with me. I felt like this was something she was doing out of some sort of need, but she certainly didn’t want to be there. To me she seemed to feel used or dirty afterward, not just guilty for having cheated. That look on her face as she was lying on the floor with Paul on top of her still makes me feel uncomfortable. I won’t watch that again. So I appreciated the film and the skill of the actors and the cinematography involved, the intimate look at some very difficult personal relationships, but I would not watch it a second time.

I'm happy to announce that the film has been nominated for a German film award. There is an English version, just look under Competitions and Awards:

http://www.filmfest-emden.de

Ostfriesland rocks!

Watching this film in the middle of the night wasn't the best idea.

I found it incredibly moving... very realistic and raw. The different issues and relationships were handled beautifully. To me, it felt almost like a documentary; it didn't gloss over the nitty gritty bits to keep the viewer comfortable, nor did it blow them out of proportion for entertainment.

My take on the paternity issue - David knows the child isn't his, but up until the scene where they meet the other couple, he thinks it's Nick's. I also think he encouraged Nick to leave once he'd discovered he was back - perhaps paid him to 'disappear' (and quickly, so Dawn doesn't realise) or rather, drove him away - probably by confirming that he 'hated' him. It's a very complex relationship between them, but I don't believe David hates Nick or vice versa... but Nick's presence starts to unravel the marriage and therefore threatens David's happiness, so he has to go.

This is probably my favourite of Benedict's performances to date, but probably because it hits me on a few personal levels.

Compared with the idea that David killed him? Or that he's still lurking around in the background somewhere?

My take on it is that he must've left. Because David couldn't kill him, but he also can't live with him around. He's volatile and controlling and maybe even cruel on some levels, but ultimately their messed up childhood and shared experiences cement their bond. Underneath it all is a very strong love - Nick says it to Dawn... "he fucks you, but he loves me". And I think that's true, although he underestimates how much David WANTS to put it all behind him and how strongly he feels for Dawn. So those two things together, combined with the anguish and ruction Nick's presence causes, trumps the love he feels. 

I don't think he stayed living in his car/the barn... a) it's not sustainable; in a small village, he'll get spotted by someone at some point and Dawn will discover he's there. b) David realises that things have come crashing down around him since Nick's arrival. He knows the only way he can 'save' his marriage - or at least continue to play along with it - is to remove this source of ignition. 

Last edited by bohemia (June 17, 2013 11:58 am)