Styx, written by Ika Kunzel and Wolfgang Fischer, directed by the latter - 9.6 out of 10

Styx, written by Ika Kunzel and Wolfgang Fischer, directed by the latter
9.6 out of 10


Styx is a fantastic, magnificent motion picture, which makes clear from the title that it will present a terrible and sublime journey, that from the Earth and the Underworld...in Greek mythology, Styx was the name of the river making the separation between those two domains.

Some may reject the idea of the film, on the grounds that they have already heard too much on the news about refugees and they still hear about disasters off the coasts of Libia or elsewhere, and what they see at the news is already as ghastly as any movie could ever aspire to be.
Critics have been exhilarated by this wonderful production...'All is Lost with a moral compass...brilliantly achieved visceral action' we find in Variety.

'Spellbinding' - Washington Post

Overall, this mesmerizing film has a spectacular Metascore of 78!

Suzanne Wolff is a stupendous actress, deserving an Oscar for this incredibly demanding role, where she has to be thrown, swim in the ocean, endure physical pain, even if efforts have surely been made to lessen the extent of her efforts as Rike.
She is a doctor off on a voyage of pleasure on that ultimate luxury item we all aspire to - unless, perhaps we are familiar with the notion of Hedonic Adaptation, which indicates that we become accustomed and then more or less bored with most if not all material goods - a small yacht.

Audiences might expect a climax, a supreme challenge in the manner of a tremendous storm, perhaps one of the hurricanes that have become more frequent with the intensified Change of the Climate.
There is a massive accumulation of clouds and Heavy Weather, although it is not a typhoon that provides the nadir, the Styx to be crossed by the heroine.

'Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark'

In her vicinity, she becomes a powerless witness of an unfolding tragedy, involving one of the multitude of boats, a fishing one in this case,  that are used by migrants to try and reach Europe, or some other safe, decent place.
That vessel is about to sink and the many passengers are dying and will drown or die of other causes, lack of water, starvation.

It becomes a symbol of the moral challenge that politicians, states and nations face.
For Rike calls and sends the SOS, May Day, distress appeals that are answered.

But only to tell her to stay away!
It is dangerous for her, since she has a small boat, she cannot cope with the challenge.

And help for the refugees is not provided!
Furthermore,the captain of one ship in the area states:

'I am sorry, but the policy of the owner of the ship prevents me from interfering in such circumstances.
I will lose my job if I do'

Rike may be reduced to saving just one child from that sinking boat, but even this boy, Kingsley aka the formidable Gedion Oduor Wekesa, is in terrible danger, as he is very ill and the prognosis is very skeptical.
Furthermore, this hallucinating film appears to become Dead Calm, another excellent movie with. Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman, when the infuriated Kingsley is madden by the fact that Rike does not return to his vessel to save at least his sister.

Phenomenal motion picture!