The Maus

The Maus is a unique cross-genre film from director Yayo Herrero that manages to blend different elements of horror, drama, fantasy, and war. Released in 2017, The Maus, starring August Wittgenstein, Alma Terzic, and Aleksandar Seksan, offers a haunting exploration of survival, fear, and prejudice.

Set against the backdrop of war-torn Bosnia, the plot follows Alex (August Wittgenstein) and Selma (Alma Terzic), a couple traveling through the Bosnian countryside. Their journey takes an eerie turn as mysterious circumstances and foreboding landscapes start to pervade their reality. Selma, a Bosnian Muslim, is haunted by childhood memories of the Bosnian War and carries with her a unique protective talisman, the "Maus," believed to ward off evil.

Alma Terzic’s portrayal of Selma gives the film a substantial emotional core. We see her character grappling with her traumatic past while being confronted with the tangible and intangible horrors that the Bosnian wilderness throws at them. Her haunted look and authentic performance is a clear testament to the violence and human rights abuses that happened during the Bosnian War.

August Wittgenstein plays Alex, a German soldier, and Selma's boyfriend. Wittgenstein plays the character of Alex with a quiet intensity, providing a calming but strained counterpart to Terzic’s edgy, fearful Selma. Their interactions illustrate the increasing strain on their relationship as the otherworldly perils become more pronounced.

Drawing a significant distinction from the typical horror flick, the Bosnian landscape plays a commanding role in The Maus. Its foreboding woodlands and hauntingly distant mountains serve more than just a backdrop - the landscape is a character in itself. It conceals shadows of its war-ravaged past, and the couple's journey through it becomes a metaphor for facing the horrors that human beings are capable of and those that exist beyond comprehension.

The inclusion of Bosnian folklore also gives the film a unique feel. The ‘Maus’, around which the film's narrative revolves, is used creatively by Herrero to probe into the psychological battles that war victims contend with. Folklore elements add an additional layer of fear as we're drawn into Selma's world, where her tragic past is overlaid with supernatural elements from Bosnian mythology.

Throughout the film, Herrero cleverly intertwines war reality with supernatural folklore, terror with brutal human violence. The manifestations of fear in the film often blur the line between these two worlds. Herrero's storytelling is both a critique of the horrific human capacity for violence and an exploration of the psychological impact of trauma.

Aleksandar Seksan delivers a crucial performance, contributing to the film’s chilling atmosphere and psychological complexity. The supporting cast, working with the leads, vividly brings the tense, suspenseful story to life while continually maintaining the film’s intense and eerie tone.

Yayo Herrero as director, with the support of an exceptional technical team, constructs a captivating narrative that evokes dread and suspense. Karim Shaker's cinematographical work is commendable, painting a gloomy picture with the dark greys of the Bosnian wilderness that contributes dramatically to the movie's chilling effect. The use of a largely monochromatic color palette also underscores the bleakness of the narrative.

At its core, The Maus is less about the supernatural and more about the human capacity for horror, about the monsters that people can become during times of war, or when pushed to their limits. It provides a stark reflection on the dark recesses of human brutality, making it not just an otherworldly horror but an examination of the horrors in the natural world.

In conclusion, The Maus is a haunting amalgamation of intense performances, chilling settings, and suspenseful narrative that makes it more than a typical horror film. It underscores the grim realities of war and human barbarity, launching a critique of human violence through its engagement with the supernatural. The Maus offers the viewer an exploration into a captivating narrative that stands at the intersection of war, personal trauma, folklore, and psychological horror.