The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 16, 2019

Writer/director Kuba Czekaj has a fascination with human development. He explored the trials of childhood in “Baby Bump,” contorting a ride of innocence as it encounters the frightening abyss of puberty, coming up with an extremely underground cinema approach to the rituals of maturation. He returns to the subject with “The Erlprince,” this time graduating to the teen years, which present him with even more emotional open range to explore with his experimental instincts, this time doing away with comedy to create a more sobering understanding of domestic control and juvenile psychology, using waves of science and fantasy to generate required abstraction while remaining interested in the lead character’s unusual coping mechanisms.

“Baby Bump” enjoyed its eccentricities, but “The Erlprince” is a darker picture, with Czekaj enjoying opportunities to cinematically detail a 14-year-old boy’s quiet unraveling. It’s this whirring brainpower that keeps “The Erlprince” interesting, paying visits to educational opportunities and fantasy worlds, with a few visual effects helping to create such passage to private obsession. However, the helmer pulls back when necessary, attentive to the main plot of domestic disturbance, which returns “Baby Bump” stars Agnieszka Podsiadlik and Sebastian Lach to duty, portraying the parental satellites orbiting around a character simply billed as The Boy (Stanislaw Cywka).

The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"The Erlprince" employs a wide range of color to create worlds of fantasy and science, and the AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a bright, vivid understanding of cinematographic essentials, with fine grain to secure a cinematic feel. Hues are defined with ideal intensity, enjoying strange lighting from lasers and artful journeys into the mind, but also securing natural skintones and primaries. Detail is sharp, delivering a full understanding of skin surfaces and costuming, which surveys softer wear and crisp school uniforms. Exteriors retain dimensional views. Delineation is communicative.

The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix also delves into the wild world of a teenager's mind. Surrounds are appealing, with a few panning effects and a strong sense of atmospherics, capturing community bustle and room tone. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and true, making emotionality easy to follow, also maintaining balance with a few hysterical surges. Music is deep, with crisp instrumentation, dealing with heavier pop songs and direct orchestral passages. Low-end has its moments without showiness.

The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Don't Be Afraid of the Shadows" (37:33, HD) is a short film by Kuba Czekaj.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:47, HD) is included.

The Erlprince Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Czekaj does get a little lost in "The Erlprince," sometimes distracted by the visual possibilities of the effort instead of the dramatic ones. However, it's a handsomely shot endeavor with an active sound design and invested performances, adding texture to all the style and dark visions. "Baby Bump" was nuts, and while "The Erlprince" has its extremity, it's more sobering overview of human development, sold with Czekaj's insatiable need to slip under the skin of his characters.