When a degenerate drifter named Thomas runs across an old flame named Peggy in Munich, he latches onto her, immediately inserting himself into her shared apartment with three other girls. Unfortunately for deadbeat Thomas, these sexy, swinging girls share more than a flat, engaging in an oath to kill their boyfriends after five days.
Buy Red SunDirector Rudolf Thome teases out whether or not Thomas will discover the truth in time, while also suggesting that Peggy might change her mind depending on how their relationship develops. Unfortunately, he fails to explore what brought the ladies to this unconventional arrangement, offering little justification for their unbridled mayhem. We see other men meet grisly ends, with no repercussions for the cold, dead-eyed girls as they nonchalantly blow them away and dispose of the remains. Only one girl seems to eventually develop any misgivings about continuing their pact, with predictably dire results.
The film seems to be a rallying cry against the patriarchy and an ode to unrestrained sexuality, with the women portrayed as strong, free spirits who utterly reject monogamy and long-term commitment. It would be far more interesting if we learned how they got to this point, but Thome is more interested in making an avant garde art piece than a character study. There’s virtually no character development, and barely any plot momentum, leaving the sole objective to find out if Thomas escapes with his life. As a blueprint for tough, no-nonsense girls refusing to subjugate themselves to terrible men, there’s a clear throughline to modern films such as Spring Breakers and Assassination Nation. Sadly, Thome fails to build any meaningful foundation on that flimsy blueprint, making for a film that’s long on counterculture style but nearly devoid of substance.
The Blu-ray features a high-definition 2K digital transfer from the original camera negative, as overseen by Thome. While additional restoration cleanup was completed by Radiance Films, it’s far from thorough, with mostly fine scratches remaining throughout the film. Colors are fairly dull, but image stability and clarity are rock solid. The original sound is dubbed, so no environmental distractions are present, giving the soundtrack a bit of a sterile, vacant feel.
Bonus features include select-scene audio commentary with Thome and fellow contemporary filmmaker Rainer Langhans, along with a brief visual essay on the film and an expansive segment focusing on the new German cinema of the 1970s. The limited edition is only 2,000 copies, and includes a hefty booklet and reversible sleeve.
