Spoilers Alert:
“When Animals Dream” director Jonas Alexander Arnby sets the stage with his film SUICIDE TOURIST – THERE IS NO ESCAPE presents a story about a controversial topic. And it leaves just as much potential in terms of narrative as it exploits on a directorial level. We reveal more about this in our review.
Is everything going well in the “Aurora” hotel?
But at the latest when the question arises in a dialogue between Max and his carer in the hotel whether he will ultimately for The man who decided to actively commit suicide understood the process and the man with an uncertain one “I think so!” answers, alarm bells should ring on the realism level; A potential candidate for assisted suicide must first have made it clear several times that he is completely sure of his intention and that he is of sound mind. From here at the latest (and thanks to the intermittent insertion of various paranoid visions through which the boundaries between reality and delusion slowly blur) “Suicide Tourist” can finally be placed in genre cinema. Although the film doesn’t reach the brilliance of Gore Verbinski’s spa hotel shocker “A Cure for Wellness”, cinematographer Niels Thastum doesn’t just create visuals (“Borg/McEnroe”) Images that are clearly reminiscent of the oppressive gloom in the supposedly healing wellness hotel. Even when Max later wanders through the catacombs of the facility and gradually gets behind the operations of the facility, he puts on a similarly horrified expression as Dane DeHaan once did in the Swiss Alps.
“’Suicide Tourist’ can entertain you on the surface as a dark mystery thriller, but you have to think of the narrative substance yourself.”
It’s a shame, however, that Jonas Alexander Arnby doesn’t play out all of these trump cards until much too late. While it feels like it takes over half of the film’s length for the exposition, the film is already over shortly after it really gets going. Anyone who has long since turned away from the always atmospheric, but undoubtedly sluggish, action will definitely not be bothered by this.
Conclusion: Director Jonas Alexander Arnby stages a topic worth discussing as a dark mystery thriller that is unfortunately very tough at the beginning. A daring undertaking that partially works. Among other things, because the moral conflict is constantly written on Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s face.
“Suicide Tourist – There is no escape” can be seen in USA cinemas from July 2nd.
