Revanche

The title means "revenge," and you'll be about halfway into the movie before you'll see the act that one of the characters believes must be avenged.

The movie follows the lives of two couples: a husband -- a cop -- and his wife, who live in a bucolic village in Austria and a scuzzy ex-con and the Ukrainian hooker he's in love with. Tamara (the hooker) and Alex live in a seedy part of Vienna -- in a hotel that's operating as a brothel. The city/country settings couldn't be more different. And, the law-abiding couple couldn't be more different from the lowlife thug and his prostitute/girlfriend. But, the two worlds collide.

The lives of this foursome intersect in a most unexpected, unlikely way. To say any more would be to spoil the suspense. But, don't expect edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting suspense. It's subtler than that.

Once the couples have entered each other's lives, the movie goes from character study to psychological thriller. But, then it turns into something much deeper. And unexpected.

This little Austrian gem is now in limited release in the U.S. It won't be in theaters long. I urge you to seek it out. It's a wonder. See it!