''Luz'' is a 2018 German

supernatural horror film Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...

written, produced, edited and directed by

Tilman Singer Tilman Singer (born 1988) is a German filmmaker best known for writing and directing the 2018 horror film '' Luz'' and the 2024 horror thriller film '' Cuckoo''. Career Singer began his career as a commercial director and attended the Academy ...

in his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. It stars Luana Velis as the titular character, a taxi driver who is questioned by the police following a mysterious accident.

Plot

After getting into a car crash, taxi driver Luz is brought to the police station for questioning. A doctor attempts to hypnotize her and get information about the night. However, the doctor is possessed by an ancient demon that Luz summoned during her stay at a religious school back in her youth.

Cast

*Luana Velis – Luz Carrara *Jan Bluthardt – Dr. Rossini *Julia Riedler – Nora Vanderkurt *Nadja Stübiger – Bertillon *Johannes Benecke – Olarte *Lilli Lorenz – Margarita

Production and release

The film is Singer's

film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training ...

thesis project and an

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to 1980s European

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

s. After debuting at the 2018

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, Yellow Veil Pictures was formed to buy the release ahead of the 2018

Fantasia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

Critical reception

The site's critical consensus reads, "''Luz'' takes a refreshingly unique approach to horror possession tropes, elevated by a chilly mood and minimalist scares." Katie Rife of

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cr ...

gave the film a B rating, praising its attention to sound and how it advanced the horror genre's retro sensibilities, summing up the work as "unapologetically weird and utterly fearless". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the film's experimental technique, commenting that the film's chronology can be debatable and its plot incoherent but this style compels, "our imaginations to see things other than what’s immediately before us".

References

External links

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