Dir/Wri: Bernhard Wenger. Austria/Germany | 102′
The popular saying ‘to thine own self be true’ lies at the heart of this cynical comedy psychodrama from Austrian filmmaker Bernhard Wenger. If you like Ulrich Seidl’s film then Peacock will appeal.
Matthias, the main character, works for an agency that hires him out to fulfil a given role : You can ask him to pose as your boyfriend, long-lost brother, loving son – whatever the situation demands. Matthias can perform impeccably in a variety of situations. Being himself is his real challenge and one that gradually undermine any chances of developing real relationships.
Peacock is a savvy social satire with relatable concept and an earnest performance Albrecht Schuch (All Quiet On The Western Front). Super clean, well-meaning and placcid at all times Matthias will do his utmost to enhance your social credentials in a given situation. In return he only asks for a positive review on the firm’s website
Matthias is good at his job as a ‘people pleaser’, but the word ‘no’ is starting to be a problem in his personal life. Sophia, his girlfriend, is tired of his vacuous personality despite their upmarket lifestyle in a stylish modernist house on the outskirts of Vienna. Problem is – Mathias is all about appearances and social status. He bolsters this with fashionable artefacts and boastful cuisine at the couple’s dinner parties. His need to control every aspect of his life is exhausting, leaving him down-spiralling into an emotional crisis when Sophia finally walks out leaving a void that begs the question: who is real and what is fake about his life?
Wenger’s feature debut is one of slew of recent films that focus on fraught situations that expose human vulnerability. Ruben Ostlund’s The Square championed this feeling of toe-curling awkwardness (particularly in the chimpanzee scene) – along with Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man’ that explores our shameful attitudes to outward appearances. Peacock is another of these sharply observed and caustically funny social critiques. @MeredithTaylor
SCREENING DURING watchAUT AUSTRIAN FILM FESTIVAL 13-16 MARCH in LONDON