Aloys Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Aloys Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 7, 2017

Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Tobias Nolle's "Aloys" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

What happened?

I can think of at least two different ways to explain rationally what takes place in Swiss director Tobias Nolle’s second feature film, Aloys. It is one of those mind-benders that blends elements of different genres and ultimately leaves it up to the viewer to decide exactly how it should be deconstructed. I prefer the more complex read of its story, but there are a few weak elements in it that make it vulnerable to criticism.

The main protagonist, Aloys Adorn (Georg Friedrich), is an investigator, possibly in his early forties, who lives alone in a huge apartment complex in what seems like a decent neighborhood. He has just lost his elderly father and the shocking event has abruptly disabled his mind’s ability to prevent his chaotic thoughts from rushing into his reality. The feeling -- that his mind and his body are perhaps not functioning as they should, and that his father is forever gone -- quickly frustrates him and in a desperate attempt to suppress it he begins drinking.

But Aloys’ plan produces a very different result. After falling asleep in a public bus and then waking up with a serious headache, he is phoned by a mysterious woman (Tilde von Overbeck) who seems capable of reading his mind with such easiness that the nauseating feeling becomes even more intense. Aloys then decides to do the only thing that seems reasonable to him -- find out who the woman is and why she is interested in him, and what needs to be done so that he restores balance in his life.

I think that the structure and especially logic of Aloys have a lot in common with those of Danish director Christopher Boe’s psychological thrillers Reconstruction and Allegro. Much like Boe, Nolle essentially merges two parallel realities and in the process begins questioning the manner in which the mind determines what is authentic and what isn’t. In all three films the merging process resembles something of a reoccurring dream that keeps evolving until eventually the chaos on display begins to make sense. Aloys is the least coherent of the three films, though, and the least eager to deliver a satisfying resolution that explains precisely what is happening in the head of its protagonist. So there is a lot more ‘bending’ in it that ultimately makes it more difficult to properly arrange its scattered pieces.

If you have not seen Aloys but are now planning to do so, you should probably stop reading here because I would like to quickly mention a few details about its ending.

The trick that brings the much needed clarity occurs in a hospital where Aloys sees the mysterious woman. It happens after a series of memory overlappings that supposedly reveal more about his past and condition. A few, however, seem totally random and added up just to enhance the fluid nature of the narrative. This is a resolution that is too safe for my taste, and I don’t really like it. Here’s the more complex read of the story with a better ending that I think Nolle should have carefully polished: The 'telephone walking' accidentally exposes the existence of a parallel reality that is fully controlled by Big Brother. While grieving and struggling with depression, Aloys foolishly enters it, and then overwhelmed by its complexity somehow becomes trapped in it.

Aloys Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tobias Nölle's Aloys arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

I noticed some banding-like effects during the opening credits and one other scene where the screen goes black for only a few seconds, but I suspect that these might be on the master that was used to source the release. The rest of the film looks fantastic. It was shot with the Red Epic camera and detail, clarity, and depth are absolutely breathtaking. The color scheme favors colder primaries and nuances, but overall the film has a very organic appearance. Image stability is terrific. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Aloys Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film has a soothing ambient soundtrack that is used in a variety of different ways to create and sustain a very specific atmosphere. The lossless 5.1 track handles it really well and supports a fantastic range of nuanced dynamics that make even fairly casual sounds and noises very easy to recognize. The dialog is always clean, stable, and easy to follow.

Aloys Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original UK theatrical trailer for Aloys. (2 min).

Aloys Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With a slightly more unconventional finale Aloys could have been an absolute stunner. It still offers a few genuine surprises, but I feel that when it counted the most Tobias Nolle decided to play it safe rather than push even further and completely redefine the mind game his film initiates. Still, if you enjoy unconventional psychological thrillers, consider picking up Eureka Entertainment's release. RECOMMENDED.