Fantastic Fest 2011

Four 20-somethings sign-up for an underground through a network of old tunnels underneath Berlin. They meet their guide at a club in Berlin where they all exchange fake names just in case the police get involved; this underground exploration isn’t exactly legal.

Through a door in the basement of the club they set off, eager to explore a place few have seen. They soon realize,however, they are not alone in the tunnels. Shortly after embarking, they encounter a pair of neo-Nazi skinheads who are using the tunnels for god-knows-what sort of nefarious activities. No one is hurt in the encounter, but the experience reinforces the potentially dangerous situation they have all put themselves in. Not just are they in a physically dangerous, decaying location but the spectre of Nazism, the unspoken shame of the city that is figuratively and in this case literally buried in each shot.

Subterranean Berlin is the perfect backdrop for such a story. The city is still partially in ruins from the war and all of the incredible underground bunkers in the film are real. Director Andy Fetscher was even arrested and put in jail for breaking in and continuing to shoot without permit or permission. The film’s third act, however, really kicks into gear when Klaus Stiglmeier’s first enters and then owns every scene he is in until credits roll. When the adventurers are at their lowest, too lost, confused and helpless to go on, a strange old man (Stiglmeier) comes to their rescue. He guides them to safe shelter, feeds them, bandages a wound and notifies the authorities to guide them to civilization. All seems well at first, but percolating just below the surface are rumblings that this stranger may not in fact be their savior. He might be the absolute last person on earth they would like to be with in an underground bunker.

We’ve seen quite a few “young people go exploring in an abandoned what-not” movies in the past. URBAN EXPLORERS transcends the genre with the triple threat of incredible locations, a tour-de-force performance by Klaus Stiglmeier and a director who knows how to keenly build tension. URBAN EXPLORERS is one of our favorite horror discoveries of the year and Klaus Stiglmeier is hands-down one of our favorite performances. We’ll follow him down any tunnel he goes… (Luke Mullen)