KILLING GROUND

You plan a romantic weekend in nature and just then someone else has put up their tent on the same lake shore. But when none of the other campers show up by evening, Ian and Sam’s latent annoyance turns into manifest concern: Where could they be? Has something happened to them? After they find a completely exhausted child in the woods, their worst fears are confirmed. This is where the real nightmare first starts for the couple. Although there are countless survival thrillers, few of them even come anywhere close to the feverish intensity and pointed clarity of this Australian directorial debut. In KILLING GROUND Damien Power relies on the human primal fear of ending up far from civilization and thus also from any help in a direct confrontation with evil. That this has turned out to be one of the best and toughest thrillers of the year is due, not least of all, to the finely developed characters, the dramatic effect of the Australian wilderness, and Power’s clever directing that entices the viewers with quiet tones, before the dramatic thunder hammers down. Logical conclusion: you’ll think twice about your next camping trip.