Hotel (2004 film)

Last updated

Hotel
Hotel 2004 poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Jessica Hausner
Written byJessica Hausner
Produced by Bruno Wagner
Starring
Cinematography Martin Gschlacht
Edited byKarina Ressler
Production
company
Coop99 Filmproduktion
Distributed byNeue Visionen Filmverleih
Release dates
  • 17 May 2004 (2004-05-17)(Cannes)
  • 1 April 2005 (2005-04-01)(Austria)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryAustria
LanguageGerman

Hotel is a 2004 Austrian psychological horror film [1] written and directed by Jessica Hausner and starring Franziska Weisz, Birgit Minichmayr, and Marlene Streeruwitz. Its plot follows a young woman who takes a job as a receptionist at a rural Alpine hotel, where the employee she replaced disappeared under unclear circumstances. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Irene takes a job working as a receptionist at the front desk of Waldhaus, a hotel in the Austrian Alps. As she is not a local, Irene is given room and board on the premises as part of her compensation. On her first day, Irene is shown her main duties, which include checking the hotel's basement storage and ensuring that the basement access door is locked each night. Irene's co-worker, Petra, informs her that the previous receptionist, Eva, disappeared under unclear circumstances, though Petra believes Eva simply ran off with a boyfriend.

Irene begins to date Erik, a local artist, who shows her a cave in the forest where the Lady of the Woods, a witch lynched in the 16th century, is said to reside, and which has become a local tourist attraction. According to folklore, a group of hikers disappeared near the cave in 1962. Irene is skeptical of the story. When her cherished diamond cross necklace goes missing, Irene informs her boss, Mrs. Maschek, that she believes a coworker—possibly Petra—may have stolen it. A staff meeting is held about the incident, leading Irene to become a pariah, though her necklace is eventually returned.

After bringing Erik to the hotel one night, Irene is reprimanded by Mrs. Maschek as having guests violates her employee guidelines. While apologizing to Mrs. Liebig, an older woman who has lived and worked at the Waldhaus with her husband for many years, Irene inquires about what happened to Eva. Mrs. Liebig calmly tells Irene to leave the hotel before she begins praying the Rosary.

Unnerved, Irene requests the weekend off, which Mrs. Maschek reluctantly approves. Irene asks Petra to cover her shift, which she agrees to, under the provision that Irene allow her to borrow her cross necklace that weekend. Desperate to leave the hotel and see her parents, Irene allows Petra to have the necklace. The night she is scheduled to board a train home, Irene begins completing the final duties of the night shift, which include checking the basement. While checking on the basement access door, she inadvertently locks herself outside. After some hesitation, Irene wanders into the woods, where her screams are heard moments later.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location at a hotel in Gösing, Austria in the fall of 2003. [4] The reception desk featured in the film was shot at a hotel in Reichenau an der Rax, with additional photography occurring at the Parkhotel Schönbrunn in Vienna. [4] Hausner was inspired by the Maya Deren film Meshes in the Afternoon when conceiving the dream sequences featured in the film. [4]

Release

Critical response

Hotel received mixed reviews from film critics, largely due to its ambiguous ending. [5] Hausner commented on the reaction to the film: "Hotel is my most problematic film, in a way, because the reaction of the audience was quite controversial. Some people like the film, but a lot of people said the ending was missing; they couldn’t enjoy the fact that you cannot get any plausible explanations for what was happening. And I remember that back then I thought that was good and that was the only reason to make the film, to not give you any clue what it was about. But then with all the discussions with audiences after screenings, I more and more understood how little an audience is willing to take that." [5]

Home media

Film Movement acquired distribution rights to Hotel, and performed a new 4K restoration of the film, releasing it in a special edition Blu-ray disc made available in September 2024 with an exclusive slipcover. The Blu-ray is scheduled for a wide release on 29 October 2024. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>French Kiss</i> (1995 film) 1995 film

French Kiss is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Written by Adam Brooks, the film is about a woman who flies to France to confront her straying fiancé and gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her to smuggle a stolen diamond necklace. French Kiss was filmed on location in Paris, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of southeastern France, and Cannes. The film was released in the United States on May 5, 1995, and received mixed reviews. The film was a success and went on to earn a total worldwide gross of $101,982,854.

<i>Wonderwall</i> (film) 1968 British film by Joe Massot

Wonderwall is a 1968 British psychedelic film directed by Joe Massot and starring Jack MacGowran, Jane Birkin, Irene Handl, Richard Wattis and Iain Quarrier, with a cameo by Dutch collective the Fool, who were also set designers for the film. The screenplay was by G. Cain from a story by Gérard Brach.

<i>My Blueberry Nights</i> 2007 film by Wong Kar-wai

My Blueberry Nights is a 2007 romantic drama film directed by Wong Kar-wai, his first feature in English. The screenplay by Wong and Lawrence Block is based on a Chinese-language short film written and directed by Wong. My Blueberry Nights stars Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franziska Weisz</span> Austrian actress (born 1980)

Franziska Weisz is an Austrian actress. She starred in the film Hotel, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Albert</span> Austrian film director

Barbara Albert is an Austrian writer, film-producer and film-director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Björk</span> Swedish actress

Lo Dagerman

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birgit Minichmayr</span> Austrian actress born in Linz, Austria

Birgit Minichmayr is an Austrian actress born in Linz, Austria. She studied drama at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. For her work in Maren Ade's film Everyone Else she won Silver Bear for Best Actress at 59th Berlin International Film Festival. She is the only Austrian actress to win this award in history of the festival and the first Austrian actress to win best actress award at a major European film festival since 1956. She worked with several major European directors including Michael Haneke, Tom Tykwer and Jessica Hausner.

<i>Prom Night</i> (2008 film) 2008 slasher film by Nelson McCormick

Prom Night is a 2008 slasher film directed by Nelson McCormick. It is the fifth and final installment of the Prom Night film series. It is a reboot film, mainly taking inspiration from the original 1980 film. The film stars an ensemble cast including Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, James Ransone, Brianne Davis, Johnathon Schaech, and Idris Elba.

<i>Taking Off</i> (film) 1971 American film by Miloš Forman

Taking Off is a 1971 American comedy film, directed by Miloš Forman. It tells a story of an average couple in the suburbs of New York City, who, when their teenage daughter runs away from home, connect with other parents of vanished children and learn something of youth culture.

<i>Agora</i> (film) 2009 Spanish film

Agora is a 2009 English-language Spanish historical drama film directed by Alejandro Amenábar and written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil. The biopic stars Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, a mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in late 4th-century Roman Egypt, who investigates the flaws of the geocentric Ptolemaic system and the heliocentric model that challenges it. Surrounded by religious turmoil and social unrest, Hypatia struggles to save the knowledge of classical antiquity from destruction. Max Minghella co-stars as Davus, Hypatia's father's slave, and Oscar Isaac as Hypatia's student, and later prefect of Alexandria, Orestes.

<i>Lovely Rita</i> (film) 2001 film

Lovely Rita is a 2001 Austrian drama film, a debut feature by Jessica Hausner. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Hausner</span> Austrian film director

Jessica Hausner is an Austrian auteur and screenwriter, a professor at Filmacademy Vienna.

<i>Georgia, Georgia</i> 1972 film

Georgia, Georgia is a 1972 Swedish-American drama film directed by Stig Björkman. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival. Its screenplay, written by Maya Angelou, is the first known film production for a screenplay written by a Black woman; Angelou also composed the film's score, despite having very little additional input in the making of the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maren Ade</span> German film director, screenwriter, and producer

Maren Ade is a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Ade lives in Berlin, teaching screenwriting at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. Together with Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach, she runs the production company Komplizen Film. She is best known for her film Toni Erdmann, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

<i>The Lobster</i> 2015 film by Yorgos Lanthimos

The Lobster is a 2015 absurdist black comedy drama film directed and co-produced by Yorgos Lanthimos, from a screenplay by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou. It stars Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, Angeliki Papoulia, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Michael Smiley, and Ben Whishaw. The film follows a newly single bachelor who moves into a hotel with other singles, who are all obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days, lest they be transformed into animals.

<i>Amour Fou</i> (2014 film) 2014 Austrian film

Amour Fou is a 2014 Austrian film directed by Jessica Hausner, starring Christian Friedel and Birte Schnöink. The story is set in Berlin in 1810 and 1811, and follows the German writer Heinrich von Kleist and his lover Henriette Vogel in the final stages of their lives. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Youth</i> (2015 film) 2015 film

Youth is a 2015 comedy-drama film written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It is the director's second English-language film, and stars Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel as best friends who reflect on their lives while holidaying in the Swiss Alps. It is a story of the eternal struggle between age and youth, the past and the future, life and death, commitment and betrayal. The cast also includes Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda.

Alexander Moser is an Austrian hair stylist living and working in Vienna.

<i>3 Days in Quiberon</i> 2018 film by Emily Atef

3 Days in Quiberon is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Emily Atef, based on an idea by Denis Poncet. It is an international co-production between Germany, Austria, and France. It stars Marie Bäumer as famous actress Romy Schneider, with Birgit Minichmayr, Charly Hübner, Robert Gwisdek, and Denis Lavant in supporting roles. It focuses on three days during the last year of Schneider's life.

<i>Motherhood</i> (1945 film) 1945 film

Motherhood or The Grief and Joy of Motherhood is a 1945 Swedish drama film directed by Ivar Johansson and starring Birgit Rosengren, Björn Berglund and Allan Bohlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Bertil Duroj.

References

  1. "Theatrical: Hotel". Film Movement . Archived from the original on 28 September 2024.
  2. "Festival de Cannes: Hotel". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  3. Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra (12 October 2021). "The Lady of the Woods". Fangoria . Archived from the original on 28 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Schiefer, Karin (2003). "Jessica Hausner talks about HOTEL". Austrian Films. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Jessica Hausner: The Miracle Worker: Hotel". Film at Lincoln Center . Archived from the original on 7 June 2023.
  6. "Hotel Blu-ray (20th Anniversary Edition)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024.