Directed by: Linus de Paoli
Written by: Anna de Paoli, Linus de Paoli
Cast: Adam Ild Rohweder, Paulina Galazka, Amanda Plummer
Swift shot: True horror lies in the bad choices flawed humans make. There’s so much visceral gore in this movie, you’ll want to turn away, but because you honor the actors’ sacrifice, you feel compelled to endure it all.
As the title suggests, the main character, Piet (Rohweder) is a very bright college student who does indeed have a lot of potential. But the one place he is lacking is his social skills.
He is basically a functioning agoraphobic, and it’s convenient that he lives in the modern era, as he has managed to avoid much of the outside world using technological crutches. Apart from his one friend, Alex (Pit Bukowski) and the interaction with his professor, Piet is content to leave society just on the other side of his door.
And then along comes Klara.
Klara (Galazka) is a Polish student who was strongly encouraged to partner with Piet through their professor. Thing is, Piet has already noticed Klara from afar, and he is already interested in her. So when she approaches him about working together, you think he would be thrilled. He is terrified at the prospect.
And here is where the film takes that turn where you know something horrible is coming, and the person can avoid the tragedy, but has no clue they are in danger.
Oddly enough, unlike most “monster movies” that applies to both Klara and Piet. As Klara seriously will not take no for an answer. She damned near forces Piet to work together, and again, even though Piet is shy, he’s ultimately persuaded to oblige his Polish pursuer.
To paint a picture of how socially awkward Piet is, he has to buy a suitable sofa for more than one person to be in his room. As far as dorms go, it’s a nice, clean place. It’s off-putting how sterile his surroundings are.
Once Klara joins him for their project, they have a discussion about a “Ghost Machine” which basically makes the argument that the only reason we don’t “do a bad thing” is because we are worried about getting caught. But what if you knew you would never get caught, would you still be morally sound? And, yes, obviously this is foreshadowing for what is to come.
At first, things are going great working with Klara. As their professor hoped, it’s a symbiotic relationship. Piet helps Klara with the project, and Klara helps Piet take more chances and come out of his shell. They even do drugs together.
But, as the project ends, and this “hanging out” stuff escalates to one night where Klara passes out and Piet tucks her in and kisses her as she sleeps, it is clear that Piet is interested in more than just Klara’s friendship.
Before Klara arrived, the way he took care of his physical needs was through a webcam girl whose site he frequented. She had always been almost a digital girlfriend for him. But as he gets rejected by Klara, he begins to get jaded, and he cuts her off from anymore social interaction.
Klara is an attractive woman, so she understands what is happening, and she wants to explain it to Piet. But Piet has been trying to cope without her in his own way.
What’s funny is as I write this review, I feel like I am talking about a mundane story, and that’s true. But what makes this film so good is the stuff below the surface tension and the moral questions it forces you to face are noteworthy and disturbing.
One the surface, it is one of those basic plots: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl doesn’t return love, and boy moves on with his life.
But, if that was all the story was about, I wouldn’t be telling you that you must see this movie immediately. I have to warn you, from here on, the movie is basically x-rated . . . but not for sexual reasons.
As Piet faces his own moral “Ghost Machine” his choices lead him to the darkest corners of the NET and it is chilling how much information there is online to help him deal with his short-comings.
Oh, and I mentioned on Twitter that this movie has a small supporting role part for Amanda Plummer who plays a private investigator. It’s funny, even after all these years since Needful Things and So I Married an Axe Murderer, she still freaks me out with that look of hers.
I don’t expect you to like A Young Man with High Potential, because it isn’t a fun movie, at all. But it is entertaining in its brilliant barbarity and what it says about how one lapse of character can change people’s lives forever.
