Punish me (Hounded)

Punish me (Hounded)
By Angelina Maccarone
with
Maren Kroymann und Kostja Ullmann
D 2006, 87 min, 35mm, b/w
1:1,85, Dolby Digital 5.1
DVD New Release November 2015
DVD Label / Production/ Sales
MMM Film Zimmermann & Co. GmbH
Naunynstraße 39
D-10999 Berlin
Tel. 0049 (0)30 616 201
[email protected]
http://www.mmmfilm.de/verfolgt.de
Punish me (Hounded)
by Anglina Maccarone
In an obsessive sexual encounter with a teenager
fifty-years-old Elsa is facing the exposure of her own desires.
As successfully working probation officer Elsa Seifert (MAREN KROYMANN) is totally absorbed
by her duties. She is living with Raimar (MARKUS VÖLLENKLEE), father of her daughter
Daniela. Triggered off by her daughter’s moving away Elsa’s daily routine is cracked. She no
longer believes in procedures which have been proving good for decades. Instead she is getting
open toward everything which is promising a new intensity of life.
When young criminal Jan (KOSTJA ULLMANN) turns up as new probationer Elsa is confronted
by his evident offers to sexually subjugate himself to her. Overwhelmed by the appeals she
cannot resist to enter the risky relationship with Jan. Celebrating and even staging their desires
Jan and Elsa create their own sexual cosmos. Step by step her life is slipping out of joint… .
In HOUNDED director Angelina Maccarone is drawing the intense picture of two individuals taking
on their deep longing, their fear and their lust. Social conventions no longer matter to them while
lines between love and pain, between devotion and dependence are blurring.
"To Maccarone's credit she steers clear of any cheap psychological analysis, telling the
facts without interference through photography and editing and allowing the audience to
draw its own conclusions.
But Maccarone's strongest asset are her two actors. Kroymann's unadorned performance, in
which her naked face reflects wide run of emotions through a minimum of means, is
remarkably complemented by Ullmann. A natural for the part, he allows his eloquent
physiognomy to replace words in most of the scenes he plays: as such Hounded's
presentation of sado-masochism, so often used to generate repulsion or derision in films,
takes on a different, painful and tormenting dimension.
Bernd Meiner's camera revives faith in black-and-white photography, enhanced through the
accuracy of its framing, while efficient cutting never lets the story flag."
SCREEN DAILY
"...a small but single-minded drama that sticks to the ribs.(...) "Hounded" has an an
attractively perverse take on sexual desire that's boosted by resonant B&W lensing and
Maren Kroymann's no-nonsense perf as the transgressive mom (...) With its gritty,
chiaroscuro photography, and low-budget feel, film is very different (...) There is a tight,
focused, forward momentum to "Hounded," with no backstory or psycho-babble, that
leaves little time for the viewer to question it in "realistic" terms. (...) Choice to shoot in
B&W seems absolutely right, both visually (in Bernd Meiner's contrasty lensing) and
dramatically."
VARIETY
Following “Unveiled” (“Fremde Haut”) HOUNDED (Verfolgt) is the second film which MMM
Filmproduktion has produced with Angelina Maccarone. Currently two new projects are in
development (the psycho-thriller “Frozen Tears” and the pop opera “Nullgasse”) continuing the
successful collaboration. Ulrike Zimmermann (producer): “What a luxury it is to have success with
films of substance in which the subject matter is of crucial importance and for which we are willing
to take substantial risk. And this is the precipitous, radical way in which we’ll be carrying on, too. “
Last year Angelina Maccarone was honoured with several awards for “Fremde Haut”
(“Unveiled”) including the Hessen Film Award for “Best Feature Film of the Year 2005“. In the
category “Best Female Lead” actress Jasmin Tabatabai was nominated for the “Lola” (National
German Film Award). In addition “Fremde Haut” got several awards at international film festivals
including the “Great Jury Prize” of the “Image Nation Film Festival Montreal” and the award for
“Best Narrative Feature” at the Seattle Film Festival.
In HOUNDED (Verfolgt) Maren Kroymann gives an excellent performance as probation officer
Elsa Seifert. All over Germany she is very popular as comedy actress both in TV productions and
on stage (“Nachtschwester Kroymann”, “Mein Leben und ich”, “Nicht ohne meine
Schwiegereltern”). She is also producing TV shows herself. Alongside her, Kostja Ullmann, at
the age of only 22 already has credits for successful films like “Sommersturm” (feature, 2003) and
“Schliemann und Sophie” (TV movie, 2006). For “Heimliche Liebe” (TV movie) he was honoured
with the Studio Hamburg Talent Award in 2005.
CAST
in order of appearance
JAN
ELSA
FRIEDER
SONNUR
MANUELA
RAIMAR, ELSA’S HUSBAND
DANIELA
BABETTE
TV NEWS SPEAKER
SHOP-ASSISTANT
JUDGE
RALF
KOSTJA ULLMANN
MAREN KROYMANN
MORITZ GROVE
SILA SAHIN
ADA LABAHN
MARKUS VÖLLENKLEE
STEPHANIE CHARLOTTA KOETZ
SOPHIE ROGALL
SUSANNE BILLIG
KATHARINA PICHLER
MICHAEL PINK
FRANK MEYER-BROCKMANN
CREW
DIRECTOR
WRITER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
EDITOR
PRODUCTION DESIGN
COMPOSERS
SOUND RECORDING
MAKE UP
COSTUMES
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
PRODUCER
ANGELINA MACCARONE
SUSANNE BILLIG
BERND MEINERS
BETTINA BÖHLER, B.F.S.
BERNARD HOMANN
JAKOB HANSONIS
HARTMUT EWERT
DIRK HOMANN
AXEL WILMS
INGER-SOFIA FRERICHS
TINA DUPUY
ULRIKE ZIMMERMANN
An MMM Film Zimmermann production supported by Hamburg Filmfund,
Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film, FUJI Kinefilm, Schwarzfilm, FFA script
funding and made possible by the financial contribution of both cast and crew.
© Germany 2005
87 min, German with Engl. subt., 35mm, b/w, 1:1,85, Dolby Digital 5.1.
DVD available in PAL (codefree), with Engl. subt.
www.mmmfilm.de ([email protected])