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Twelve years later, after escaping, professional criminal Troyan returns to Berlin. In the city, they attempt to steal a valuable painting. But the carefully planned robbery soon gets out of hand. Next up is Im Schatten (2010). During the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, viewers were able to see how professional criminal Troyan (Misel MATICHEVICH) from IM SCHATTEN (2010) was forced to leave the capital for an indefinite period. Troyan still operates in a rather analogous way: old-fashioned crimes such as stealing material objects such as watches, cash and pictures. Without any ties to the mafia or clan structure, a lone fighter, only occasionally and if necessary in the team! When a coup in the Ruhr region does not go according to plan, Troyan must return to Berlin to engage old contacts (Marie-Lou SELLEM). And indeed: together with three comrades (Tim Seifey, Marie LEUENBERGER, Bilge BINGHUL), Troyan manages to steal a valuable painting by Caspar David FRIEDRICH. But then the real trouble begins with the mysterious client Viktor (Alexander FELLING)… At the BERLINALE 2010 film festival, the film IM SCHATTEN by Braunschweig director Thomas ARSLAN created a furor like a long-awaited genre bomb. A fascinating genre film, shot in Germany, was told using the cinematic tools of the Berlin School. Extremely exciting, with rare dialogues and explosive violent moments! ARSLAN follows it up with the seemingly smooth VERBRANNTE ERDE. Gangster films are still rare in German cinema. With cold precision, the images of cameraman Reinhold FORSCHNEIDER (and IM SCHATTEN) speak of people living in a shadow version of Germany. Dark places, in the shadow of nearby attractions and yet far from the perception of the police and ordinary people. Berlin appears as an accomplice and opponent of the film’s main characters. The restrained music of the Norwegian composer Ola FLOTTUM (THE WORST MAN IN THE WORLD, 2021) contributes greatly to this tense atmosphere. It shows the capital you know, but don’t have yet. Many viewers will be able to recognize this urban development with all the roads in their surroundings. Ghostly places are very close to us: scorched earth in the shadows! Misel MATICHEVICH (FRONT THE FACE OF CRIME / BABYLON BERLIN) is again very convincing in the role of Trojan, whom we will probably see again (Thomas ARSLAN is planning a kind of Trojan trilogy). GERMAN FILM AWARD nominee Marie Lou SELLEM (nominated for KNOCHEN UND NAME / BONES AND NAMES in 2024) plays the icy mediator. But GERMAN FILM AWARD winner Alexander FELLING (winner of DAS ENDE DER WAHRHEIT 2019) is frighteningly good and doesn’t even have to hide from classic villains like Klaus KINSKI and Michael FASSBENDER. Thomas ARSLAN doesn’t want to spend as much time on the third film in his “Trojan” trilogy as he did between 2010 and 2024. It remains exciting!
