LFF 2015: Der Nachtmahr Dir. Akiz

"What the fuck was that..?!" said one member of the press as the credits rolled. Der Nachtmahr is a surreal exploration of the struggles of a teenager. A true delight in many ways and however much we detest the term 'unique', it really is just that - set in Berlin, the film tells the story of rave goer, Tina. Attending raves is just as a regular ritual here as it is for Brits going to the pub.

Plenty of strobe lighting, loud techno music and paranoid drug fuelled moments leads anxiety driven Tina to discover a strange ET-esque creature roaming around invading her fridge at night - at first (as expected), Tina is the only person who can see this shy creature. They have a bizarre bond and are inter connected, when it eats eggs and offers Tina one, Tina exclaims she is allergic and will come out in rash if she eats it, later at the club, Tina discovers she has a rash. Naturally, this suggests the creature is most certainly from the deep depths of Tina's sub-conscience

There are lots of interesting and particularly funny moments in the film - Der Nachtmahr doesn't take itself too seriously which is part of it's charm yet it tackles some serious issues. A couple of sequences take place in Tina's therapy sessions where she's encouraged to make friends with the creature and touch it, this of course is a means for her to get beyond her obvious spiral into mental illness.

Is Tina merely just dealing with the effects of taking too many drugs? Or is this creature real?

Akiz has directed an interesting and humorous film that has attempted to follow suit with the style of Twin Peaks and perhaps be something quite avant-garde, unfortunately there are only fleeting moments of this. The film can feel quite tedious at times. Having said this, there are some interesting issues the film plays around with and its brilliantly shot - the audience connects to the outstanding performance of its main character, Tina (played by the waifer thin and brilliant, Carolyn Genzkow).

It's important to state that there is nothing scary about this film despite the suggestions of the trailer - part of the DARE stream, Der Nachtmahr screens at London Film Festival on Thursday 8th October and Saturday 10th October. You can buy tickets on the BFI website.