Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: LIMBO [Berlinale 2021 - Virtual]
The point between acceptance and dissonance is an interesting construct. Consequence and effect can cause ripple effects. "Limbo" [Berlinale Special] is an interesting approach both because of its Hong Kong cop movie roots but also in its brutality mixed with a noir penchant and a serial killer undercurrent. From the earlier scenes, the film focuses on a cop so blind in his rage because of an accident that happened. One girl, herself a junkie, is to blame. She already has suffered the guilt leading her into a downward spiral. But the film puts her through hell way beyond that...and yet she fights to survive but not in a conventional way. This ultimately provides such a high level of stakes that when the film culminates, it has weight but doesn't operate by the exact rules of the genre. As a result it feels authentic while still bending the line between drama and a sense of horror. The pain is primal especially for this girl who has suffered so much.
The city that this film exists in is ravaged by shadows and trash. It is bathed in rain, even if much of it is artificial. The gist of the undercurrent involving a serial killer cutting up the bodies of women provides the backbone. The lead girl is both antagonist and ironically and rightfully by the en becomes a reluctant protagonist although she wants no part of it. "Limbo" knows the purgatory that its characters exist in. Most of the time they can't escape their fate but they fight for existence like there is no tomorrow. One knife fight sequence works simply because it seems scattershot and almost unchoreographed and yet a great deal of care is worked into its execution as with the final sequence set in a vast maze like space. Again the brutality especially in black and white for some reason seems ironic in a very subtle way since the blood runs dark gray. Ultimately in "Limbo", there is an essence of resolution but no one gets out unscathed. B+
By Tim Wassberg
