Hotel (2004)

"Hotel" is a German-language movie from 2004, so this one is already considerably older than a decade. It was written and directed by Jessica Hausner who is probably among Austria's most known filmmakers, maybe even top of the pile if we talk about females. This film received a pretty strong deal of awards recognition back then, for example also at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It is a really short movie as it gets barely to the 75-minute mark and this already includes the credits. In terms of the cast, lead actress Franziska Weisz is among Austria's most known while Birgit Minichmayr made it even bigger and is really well-known here in Germany too. This film is the story of a young woman and we find out about her first days as a hotel employee. It is all about the mystery really. It is a film that is really uncomfortable to watch, but this atmospheric take also makes it so efficient. The woman who worked there before Weisz' character disappeared without a trace apparently and there are other creepy aspects about the film. I personally enjoyed the mystery more than supernatural references about witches, but that is of course just personal take. These parts (i.e. the middle part of the film) is where the movie does the least perhaps. The beginning is much better and the ending is really nice too, especially the very final shot and sound. The apparent dislike from the other employees towards the central character also add a lot to the story as you never know what is wrong with these people and what may be the reason for the reactions. The lost chain scene is one of the very best the film has to offer. So yeah, as a whole I can understand why this film was received so well, maybe not necessarily by critics, but by audiences. A lot stays in the dark and hidden here and this is exactly the approach I like. There is a reason why Blair Witch Project is my favorite horror film of all times. Sure this one here is not anywhere near that level or best of the year material, but it is worth checking out fur sure. It is also not really an actors' movie, but this is nothing new about horror films and frequently the case there. of course this doesn't mean that the actors were weak or anything. they are as good as the rest about it all. I suggest you watch it. Thumbs up.

The movie lives from its dense atmosphere, from the play of dark and light, from its rare action, which seems to have been lost among extremely static actors, but which is obviously seen through a stranger's eyes and shows a road that has to be taken by young Irene.It also lives from the intense and almost exaggerated sound level. The subtle innumerability of shown doors burn themselves into the minds of the audience and offer Irene the only reasonable path, but which she doesn't follow after all. She thus opens the remaining door to her own fate. Only towards the end one can suspect that behind the previously shown doors, which are vanishing from visibility after a while, she could have found the road to escape from this dreary place.The blurred action, as well as the fate of Irene's predecessor, which lays somewhere in the dark of the woods, remains just there after the end of the movie and leaves the recipient wondering: only the form of art is stringent, nothing offers clarity in "Hotel", not even Irene's seemingly horrid scream, which in his only repetition could just as well sound as a wild animal's scream.

I Didn't get it. Okey if there had been a creepy feeling then this movie had been much better, but I felt nothing. This movie was just weird and not good. Felt like It was a home made movie that students have done for the school or something. And I didn't think the acting was any good. Everyone had the same face expression all the time. The best with this movie was the picture of her on the movie. Everyone who wants to see this movie, Don't because you will be so disappointed and you waste money. I really felt I did so. Some people maybe think this type of movies is interesting, but I don't know what it could be thats so terrific? I give it:3/10

HOTEL is about a young girl who is hired as a receptionist in an isolated, apparently inaccessible hotel in the Austrian Alps. Her co- workers are not responsive to her arrival, and to make matters worse, the girl she replaced was said to have disappeared. This description reminded me of the only film to truly scared me, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Second time director Jessica Hausner however, is no Kubrick.The characters in this film are very one dimensional. Even the main character Irene, who finds herself in some situations that might scare a normal person, does not react at all. As a direct result, neither does the audience. The environment was also very bland. You would think the director would scout a location with some atmosphere for a psychodrama, but instead we're shown a very boring well kept hotel. This film is shot without any style whatsoever. The director must have thought a few of the scenes were terrifying (walking down a hallway, or looking into the woods), as she showed them over and over again. The conclusion was uninspired and predictable.Note to amateur filmmakers everywhere ... If I can't put myself in the place of one of the films characters, and the situation isn't unusual or intense, and the environment does not seem unwelcoming, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. Your psychodrama will not work. Geez, I thought that would be obvious. (3/10)