THE PRIVILEGE (REVIEW)
Updated: Jun 15, 2022
Dir. Felix Fuchssteiner, Katharina Schöde
Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield
Sometimes less is more, if only someone had told directors Felix Fuchssteiner and Katharina Schöde when making THE PRIVILEGE. The full title in German is DAS PRIVIG: DIE AUSERWALTEN which translated is THE PRIVILEGE: THE CHOSEN ONES which gives the films closing spoiler away very early on. The real question is, why does it hide this away for so long and create plot threads that go against everything the film becomes.
After a childhood trauma, Finn is haunted by a monster he saw as a child. This shadow continues to haunt him through school and as he, with the assistance of his friends, tries to uncover the truth, he realises it's a little closer to home.
The discombobulation between personal trauma and cult leaders and demonic parasites and supernatural apparitions and fungus infected corpses is just a messy exposition to throw in as many jump scares and twists to try and make something entertaining. Instead, with the amount of jolting back and forth and second guessing of what is going on only alienates those wanting to enjoy one of the many branches of horror the film should have invested more into.
It's a shame as while the monster elements are run of the mill, they at least resemble some coherence between the events of the opening chase and Finn's inner guilt for the death of his sister. There are so many tick boxes in this German film, it's difficult to delve into which sub genres it does well and which it doesn't. Overall because of this amalgamation of horror clichés, THE PRIVILEGE is ultimately wasted in trying to be a jack of all trades, it forgets to be a master of one and therefore feels baggy and ultimately dull despite throwing everything to make an interesting story. We won't expand on the pointless threesome scene placed there just for young teens to get a cheap thrill.
Perhaps if it had focused more on one storyline for poor Finn to handle as opposed to them all, it could have been a much tighter and enjoyable venture but instead it's hard to find a single likable reason to watch this as a whole.
