by Götz Spielmann



A nature scene. Late summer. A small lake in the woods. No people. Silence. Not far away, a newly built house inhabited by a couple: Robert and Susanne. They live an ordinary life like so many other people. Meanwhile in Vienna. Nightlife, red light district, the world of prostitution. Here money rules. Most people have jobs that barely let them scrape by. Like Alex and Tamara. She is a prostitute from Ukraine; he, the boss' errand boy. They are lovers, but they have to keep it a secret. Employees aren't allowed to get romantically involved.

They want to escape this life, but they need money. Alex devises a plan to rob a bank in a little village out in the countryside. Tamara wants to come along, and he reluctantly agrees. Everything is going exactly as planned until a policeman happens to walk up: Robert. He fires a few shots at the getaway car as it speeds off and hits the young woman. Overcome with despair, Alex leaves the body behind in a forest clearing. He lies low at his grandfather's desolate farm at the edge of the woods. Silent and withdrawn, Alex begins the task of chopping firewood for the approaching winter. He is consumed with pain, grief, and the hate he harbors for the man responsible for Tamara's death. A lake in the woods is where Robert finds comfort alone. He tries to sort out what happened. Alex begins to observe Robert, the policeman, spy on him, follow him as he goes about his daily routine. Then he meets Susanne, the policeman's wife. The lives of all these people will change as a result of Tamara's death - more radically than they suspect. Soon autumn will come, just like every year.


Born in Wels in 1961, grew up in Vienna. Starts writing and directing while still in school. His first film is aired on television in 1978. In 1980 he starts studying screenwriting and directing at the Vienna Film Academy. Two films completed during his studies receive international prizes and are screened at the Stadtkino, an arthouse cinema in Vienna. Spielmann graduates in 1987. Soon afterwards, he writes and directs four cinema and made-for-TV films in succession. In 1999, after several years of silence, his next feature film »The Stranger« (Die Fremde) is Austria's nomination for the Foreign Language Oscar. This is followed by »Spiel im Morgengrauen«, a made-for-TV movie, and in 2004 the feature »Antares«. »Antares« is shown internationally at more than 30 festivals, at arthouse theaters in many countries including France, the USA, and Germany. »Antares« is nominated by Austria to compete for the Foreign Language Oscar. Its explicit sex scenes spark heated debate among Academy members. Since 2005 Götz Spielmann has also written and directed for the stage. In 2006 he is awarded the Upper Austrian State Prize for Culture in the category of film. The same year he founds the production company Spielmannfilm.

Filmography as a Director and Scriptwriter:

2007 »Revanche«
2004 »Antares«
2001 »Spiel im Morgengrauen« (TV)
1999 »Die Fremde«
1994 »Die Angst vor der Idylle« (TV)
1993 »Dieses naive Verlangen« (TV)
1991 »Der Nachbar«
1990 »Erwin und Julia«


Johannes Krisch - Alex
Ursula Strauss - Susanne
Irina Potapenko - Tamara
Andreas Lust - Robert
Hannes Tannheiser - Old Man
Hanno Pöschl - Konecny


Director and Scriptwriter: Götz Spielmann
Producers: Mathias Forberg, Heinz Stussak, Sandra Bohle, Götz Spielmann
Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht
Sound: Heinz Ebner
Production Designer: Maria Gruber
Editor: Karina Ressler
A production of Prisma Film, Spielmannfilm
Supported by Austrian Film Institut E, Filmfonds Wien, ORF, Niederösterreich Kultur

Technical Data

Length: 121 Min.
Original language: German

Original title: Revanche



Go back