Just yesterday we were talking about Drafthouse Films releasing the French romance film, Mood Indigo in the U.S. Now it seems like only a day later we’re talking about Drafthouse Films releasing the German horror film, Nothing Bad Can Happen – probably because it is a day later.
Actually, horror may not be the right word; “horrific drama” may be more apt. The first U.S. trailer gives off vibes of Shane Meadows films – like This Is England or Dead Man’s Shoes – where the focus is on the characters and drama, but the terrifying threat of violence is ever present.
Inspired by atrocious true events, Nothing Bad Can Happen follows Tore, a young lost soul involved with an underground Christian punk movement who falls in with a dysfunctional family curious to test his seemingly unwavering faith. After a chance encounter helping Benno, a stranded driver, and managing to help start his car again in what appears to be a miracle, Tore is invited back to Benno’s home and becomes friendly with him, his wife and two kids. Before long, Tore moves in and gradually becomes part of the family. However, Benno can’t resist playing a cruel game, designed to challenge Tore’s beliefs. As his trials become more and more extreme, Tore finds his capacity for love and resilience pushed to its limits, and beyond.
Nothing Bad Can Happen premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Katrin Gebbe directed the film; Julius Feldmeir, Sascha Alexander Gersak, and Annika Kuhl star. It is set for a July 27, 2014 release in the U.S.