Shadows on the Wall | September 5

September 5

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir Tim Fehlbaum
scr Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum
prd Philipp Trauer, Thomas Wobke, Tim Fehlbaum, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer
with Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem, Georgina Rich, Corey Johnson, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Adeosun, Benjamin Walker, Ferdinand Dorfler, Solomon Mousley
release US 13.Dec.24,
UK 24.Jan.25
24/Germany Paramount 1h31

VENICE FILM FEST

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Capturing the intensity of live television coverage, this pulsing thriller traces the day in 1972 when a sports crew had to pivot to report an unfolding global news event live by satellite for the first time. Filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum plays this out with an unusual sense of pace and urgency, brought vividly to life with stunning attention to detail. Unusually, this is seen purely through the eyes of journalists.

Broadcast live for the first time, the Munich Olympics are being watched around the world, covered for America by an ABC television crew. On this fateful morning as their coverage is winding down, the sound of gunshots interrupts their calm. In the neighbouring athlete's village, Palestinian terrorists have killed two and taken nine Israeli team members hostage. Reporter Peter Jennings (Walker) heads into the village to report each tense moment throughout the day, while Geoff (Magaro) and Marvin (Chaplin) manage the team, carefully watched by boss Roone (Sarsgaard), with key assistance from interpreter Marianne (Benesch).

Tensions are already high, with the Games taking place only 27 years after the fall of the Nazis. So this particular situation requires a sensitive approach, and the ABC crew must continually improvise to cover the developing situation. This adds witty touches that provide sparks of colour to a gravely serious narrative. And we feel every emotion along with these reporters as they make a series of unprecedented decisions.

With New York bosses sure these sports reporters are over their head, these professionals are determined to follow the story. Sarsgaard provides a terrific sense of gravitas as the focussed team leader, ably supported by a strong ensemble. Benesch is particularly engaging, while the excellent, hugely relatable Magaro shines as Geoff, who thinks quickly, asks hard questions ("Can we show someone being shot on live television?") and takes this to heart. His journey is the one that catches the audience's emotions.

This is a bracingly involving depiction of how pure journalism clashes with the needs of sponsors, ratings and sensitivities. These tenacious, steely journalists certainly understand the terrifying reality of the situation and what might happen next. And because the film uses the actual television footage, it has an urgency that's often heart-stopping, right to the final awful clash. This is especially true because we know where this is headed, while the crew doesn't. And with today's news climate, the stakes feel perhaps even more unnerving.

themes, language 2.Dec.24

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