Review of Picco (2011) by Mikael K — 26 Sep 2010

A drama inspired by various accounts and reports from German youth prisons. The story centers around Kevin who enters a ward of around 20 young men. At first he has a difficult time adjusting to the rules of that separate microsociety, especially as he befriends a boy who is being opressed in unity by all the other prisoners. The movie begins in a very stylish, well directed manner, focusing on the hollow feel of the prison and introducing the characters who get fleshed out quite nicely.

â??Piccoâ?? gradually turns into one of the most disturbing films I remember. I havenâ??t seen such a poignant examinaion of dehumanization and the scapegoat phenomenon since Lars Von Trierâ??s â??Dogvilleâ??. Tommy Oâ??Haverâ??s â??An American Crimeâ?? is another wonderful film this masterpiece reminded me of. Ultimately it reaches a level of suffocatingly extreme violence with a very Michael Haneke sort of take on scene building and character.

This isnâ??t an easy film to finish, but itâ??s one that works as a strong statement about the questionable philosophies behind our justice system. Itâ??s direct, authentic and uncomplicated, but carries a universally appliable analysis of the human psyche, as bleak as that might be.