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Released by: Artsploitation Films
Released on: July 9, 2013.
Director: David Wnendt
Cast: Alina Levshin, Jella Haase
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
Written and directed by German filmmaker David Wnendt, 2011's Combat Girls is, right out of the gate, going to garner some admittedly deserved comparisons to American History X and, probably more accurately, Romper Stomper but it carves out enough of its own niche to stand on its own as a well-made and unrelentingly grim character study. The core of the movie focuses on a twenty year old woman named Marisa (Alina Levshin), an angry one who runs with a gang of Nazi skinheads. She's involved with boyfriend Sandro (Gerdy Zint), a fairly fanatical type who gets locked up after a fight.
While he's doing time, Marisa copes with the impending but inevitable death of her grandfather and coming to terms with the worldview he instilled in her. He was also really the only family member to show her much kindness and she takes this pretty seriously, though his politics have essentially ostracized him from Marisa's mother and sister. Things get complicated for her when she gets into a spat with a young man named Rasul (Sayed Ahmad Wasil Mrowat) and his brother. While all of this is going on, a fifteen year old girl named Svenja (Jella Haase) gets involved with the gang by way of her boyfriend. When he's kicked out for his drug use, she chooses them over him and Marisa, in a sense at least, takes her under her wing as they both learn that actions have consequences and that nothing is ever as black and white as it seems.
Combat Girls pulls no punches in its depiction of the modern day Neo-Nazi movement in Germany. Marisa and her friends routinely indulge in beatings, racial provocation and harassment against anyone they see as inferior. They blame immigrants and Jews for their perceived decline of Germany as a world power and they make no qualms about taking it out on whoever they want.
A message movie that never comes across as preachy (that could have spelled death for a movie like this), Combat Girls tells a believable story. Both Marisa and Svenja hook up with the skinheads for different reasons, Marisa because she obviously craves acceptance and belonging and because her politics align with their, Svenja to rebel against her reasonably stable and peaceful home life. It's the performances from the two lead actresses here that really sell this one. Jella Haase is completely convincing in her part and brings an important sense of naivety to the role that makes it work very well. Alina Levshin, however, completely dominates the film. She is never once out of place or out of character and always entirely believable in how she sells the part. Her dedication to the part is chilling, and she deserves every ounce of praise that has been heaped on her for her work here. Combat Girls does tread in water very similar to the aforementioned films, though it deviates here and there from those structures enough to branch out on its own. That's not what makes it so compelling though, rather, it's the acting and the realism that the filmmakers have managed to capture that makes this one absolutely worth your time.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Combat Girls looks about as good as a standard definition transfer shot primarily on handheld cameras can, presented here in 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen. Detail is nice, colors are good and there are really no issues to note. Blacks don't always look reference quality but they are generally very strong and skin tones are lifelike. No compression issues or encoding oddities to note. All in all, a nice job on the visuals here.
Likewise, the German language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix, with optional subtitles in English only, is also of very good quality. Levels are nicely balanced, range is good as is depth, and the score well placed and impressively purposeful in its directionality.
Extras are limited to a trailer for the film and trailers for a few other Artsploitation releases and an interesting interview with Alina Levshin entitled Combat In Hollywood in which she discusses working on the film, how many of the cast were not experienced actors and the film's content. Inside the case is a color insert booklet containing an essay on the film and noting its significance and importance from a socio-political standpoint in addition to offering up some background information on those who made it.
The Final Word:
A dark, gritty and incredibly well acted picture, Combat Girls is a smart picture albeit far from 'feel good movie' material. Levshin's work here is every bit as good as the accolades would lead you to believe while Haases's turn is almost as good. There's a good message here that works well in the context of the story but which never feels forced or heavy handed. Artsploitation's DVD release is equally solid, and if it's not loaded to the rafters with extras, it looks and sounds very good. A worthy addition to their increasingly impressive and eclectic catalogue.
