Krzyk: Losing Control (2024) by Ewa Wikiel: A Descent into Grief and Obsession

Short Summary: When a Scream Becomes Your Own Lena, a 38-year-old bacteriologist in Poland, witnesses a fatal car accident and is haunted by the victim's screams. This traumatic event, combined with her suppressed grief over a recent stillbirth, sends her into a spiral of insomnia and obsession. As she tries to uncover the identity of the deceased woman, Lena's grip on reality loosens, and she begins a dangerous, psychological journey into her own subconscious, losing control of her life and her identity.

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311360/

Link Review: https://awfj.org/blog/2024/03/15/krzyk-losing-control-sxsw2024-review-by-leslie-combemale/

About movie: https://www.instagram.com/krzyk_film/

Link to watch: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/krzyk-losing-control/krzyk-losing-control/rbb/Y3JpZDovL3JiYl81MDkxZjQwZi05MDY2LTRhMjgtOWQ0Ny0yNjY3MDY3NGFkNjRfcHVibGljYXRpb24 (Germany)

Detailed Summary: A Ghost of a Trauma Past

• The film follows Lena, a woman who appears to have a stable life, but is secretly struggling with the suppressed trauma of a stillbirth.

• Her life takes a dark turn after she witnesses a woman named Nina burn to death in a car accident. The sound of Nina's screams becomes a constant source of torment, triggering Lena's own unresolved pain.

• Unbeknownst to her boyfriend, Jakob, Lena begins to investigate Nina's life. She starts an affair with Nina's widower, Viktor, and gradually inserts herself into his life, even taking on a maternal role for his son.

• As Lena's obsession grows, the line between her reality and her dreams blurs. The film uses a unique visual language to show Lena's psychological unravelling as she becomes more and more like the woman she is investigating. She must find a way to confront her trauma and find a way out of her self-destructive path.

Director's Vision: A Cinematic Exploration of Grief

• Ewa Wikiel's vision was to create a subjective and immersive cinematic experience that explores the rarely-discussed topic of a mother's grief after a stillbirth or miscarriage. The director, who drew inspiration from a personal experience of hearing a scream from an accident, wanted to portray grief in a raw and messy way, not as a sanitized or romanticized emotion.

• The film's visual language is a key part of its storytelling. The cinematography changes depending on Lena's emotional state and who she is interacting with. For example, scenes with her boyfriend are shot with a raw, handheld camera, while scenes with the widower are shot with a calmer, more elegant style using a gimbal.

• Wikiel also used a mix of spherical and anamorphic lenses to visually represent Lena's transformation into the deceased woman. As Lena's obsession deepens, the film switches to the anamorphic format, which visually "sucks you in," making the audience feel Lena's own descent into a new identity.

Themes: The Unseen Wounds of Grief

• Unprocessed Trauma: The central theme of the film is the profound and destructive effect of unprocessed trauma. Lena's inability to mourn her own loss manifests as an obsession with another woman's death, highlighting how repressed pain can fester and ultimately consume a person.

• The Messiness of Grief: The film challenges the idealized portrayal of grieving mothers. It shows grief as a "messy, foul business" that can lead to self-destructive and even immoral behavior, a welcome change from the typical "martyr and saint" depictions.

• Identity and Transformation: Lena's journey is a profound exploration of identity. As she loses control of her own life, she starts to take on the life of another, blurring the lines between who she is and who she wishes she could be. The film asks what happens when you lose a part of yourself so completely that you begin to inhabit someone else's life.

• The Feminine Perspective on Loss: The film is a powerful and unique look at the experience of losing a child at birth, a subject that is often not openly discussed. It provides a raw and unflinching look at the emotional and psychological toll this type of loss can take on a woman.

Key Success Factors: A Unique Visual and Emotional Style

• Powerful Central Performance: Gina Henkel's raw and believable performance as Lena is a major success factor. She successfully portrays a character who is difficult to watch but impossible to look away from, taking the audience on her journey of pain and obsession.

• Innovative Visual Storytelling: The film's unique visual language, which includes changes in camera style and the use of different lenses, is a standout success factor. The cinematography is not just a backdrop; it is an active participant in telling the story of Lena's psychological transformation.

• A Different Kind of Thriller: Krzyk: Losing Control is a slow-burn psychological thriller that relies on mood and atmosphere rather than jump scares or action. This makes it a compelling watch for viewers who enjoy a more cerebral and character-driven horror experience.

Awards & Nominations: A Festival-Winning Debut Krzyk: Losing Control won the Best Narrative Feature award at the 13th Greenpoint Film Festival. It also premiered at the Max Ophüls Film Festival and was selected for the SXSW Film Festival.

Critics Reception: A Tense and Unflinching Debut

• Leslie Combemale (AWFJ): Gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the film's "trippy, tense" atmosphere and its "unusual way mother grief is shown." The review highlighted Gina Henkel's raw performance and the film's dreamlike aesthetic, but also critiqued the film for not making the central "scream" clear enough for a viewer without prior knowledge of the plot.

• Cineuropa: Called the film a "nightmarish debut feature" that is a "dizzying trip through the night on a Polish motorway." The review highlighted the film's ability to blend psychological drama with a thriller sensibility, all while exploring a deeply personal and emotional subject.

Overall Summary: Critical reception for Krzyk: Losing Control is largely positive, with critics praising the film for its unique visual style, its powerful central performance, and its willingness to tackle a difficult subject with a raw and unflinching honesty. The film is seen as a promising and confident debut for director Ewa Wikiel.

Reviews: A Disturbing and Fascinating Watch

• MUBI: Reviews on this platform described the film as "beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema." The film is seen as a thought-provoking and well-executed piece of work, with many reviewers appreciating its unique blend of psychological thriller and drama.

• Crew United: This site highlighted the film's festival success and its premiere at the Max Ophüls Festival, suggesting it was well-received by festival audiences and industry professionals.

Overall Summary: The reviews and festival reception for Krzyk: Losing Control suggest a film that is well-regarded for its unique vision and compelling execution. While it may not be for everyone, its artistic and emotional depth have been a major draw for critics and festival audiences.

Release date on streaming: The film was broadcast on rbb television in Germany on July 27, 2025, as part of the "Debüt im rbb" series.

Why to watch this movie: A Psychological Deep Dive

• A Different Kind of Horror: If you're looking for a psychological thriller that is more focused on emotional dread than traditional jump scares, this film is for you. It's a deep, disturbing dive into the human psyche.

• Powerful, Unique Storytelling: The film's innovative visual language and its brave exploration of a rarely-discussed subject make it a compelling and original cinematic experience.

• An Outstanding Performance: Gina Henkel's portrayal of a woman on the verge of a breakdown is a masterclass in acting. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission.

Movie Trend: The Art-House Psychological Thriller This film is a prime example of the growing trend of art-house psychological thrillers that blend a genre narrative with a deep, emotional character study. These films often have a unique visual style and are more interested in exploring the internal world of their characters than in creating a conventional plot.

Social Trend: The Open Conversation on Women's Health and Grief The film taps into the growing social trend of a more open and honest conversation about women's health issues, particularly topics like stillbirth and miscarriage. It gives a voice to an experience that is often stigmatized and suppressed, contributing to a broader cultural shift towards emotional transparency.

Final Verdict: A Disturbing and Unforgettable Film Krzyk: Losing Control is a bold and impressive debut from director Ewa Wikiel. It is a disturbing, but ultimately unforgettable, film that uses a unique visual style and a powerful central performance to explore the raw and messy reality of grief. While its subjective nature may be challenging for some, its unflinching honesty and artistic confidence make it a standout work of cinema. It is a highly recommended watch for anyone interested in a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant psychological thriller.