AKA: Der Freie Wille
DVD Label: Benten Films
Country and Year: Germany (2006)
Director: Matthias Glasner
Starring: Jurgen Vogel, Sabine Timoteo

Review By: Charlie Prince
Rating: 4 out of 4 Stars (Excellent)

I’m delighted to report that as of this week The Free Will is finally out on DVD here in the United States. I was blown away when I saw this film play at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. Of the 550 or so movies I saw that year, it was my favorite. While not an easy film to watch, it is undeniably powerful, with incredible acting and an unlikely love story thrown in the mix. I wrote a review of the film from the 2006 Tribeca Fest which you can read here if you’re so inclined. The film is best known for having won the prestigious Silver Bear the Berlin Film Festival and a best actor award at Tribeca.

Hats off to Benten Films once again for having the guts to release a challenging film like this. In a nutshell, the film is a drama surrounding a convicted rapist, who after spending many years in a psychological institution, is now being re-released into society. He now seems to have genuinely realized the true extent of his horrible crimes and ready to begin life anew. But in today’s society sexual imagery is everywhere, and before long it’s obvious our star, played by Jurgen Vogel, is struggling to prevent a relapse. Then he meets and falls in love with Sabine Timoteo, who has issues of her own. Torn between this new life and his old ways, the film becomes a gripping suspense film, and every time we see Vogel walk past a woman late at night, we fear the worst. Again, not an easy film to watch, especially the opening minutes, but well worth the effort.

As with their past titles, Benten Films’ DVD features a beautiful transfer. The extras include a filmmaker commentary with director Matthias Glasner and co-writer/star Jurgen Vogel, a trailer for the film, and an essay by Time Out New York film critic David Fear. If you can handle uncomfortable dramas, I can’t recommend the film enough, it’s one of the best films I’ve seen in the last 10 years.