Vanguard

High school is a trying time under the best of circumstances, but for troubled teenager Tina (Carolyn Genzkow), normal problems like fitting in, getting good grades, and dealing with the opposite sex are the least of her worries. Tina’s somewhat wild life in suburban Berlin starts to come apart when, after a bad drug trip, she begins being tormented by a small, foetus-like goblin that only she can see.

An energetic debut feature from German artist/director AKIZ, Der Nachtmahr plays like the MDMA-addled love child of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Featuring a stellar lead performance from Genzkow and a titular nightmare sure to tickle the creature feature crowd, the film is ultimately marred by a dizzying combo of strobing visuals and a pounding electronic soundtrack (both of which the filmmaker warns the audience about prior to the opening credits), and a meandering third act.

Screens

SEP 17 9:00 PM @ The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
SEP 18 12:00 PM @ Scotiabank Theatre Scotiabank 3
SEP 20 6:00 PM Scotiabank Theatre Scotiabank 14

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