The Wall

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The Wall

2013

1h 48m

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Cut off from the outside world by an invisible and impenetrable barrier, a lone woman (Martina Gedeck) starts a journal of her experiences.

Critics Consensus

Die Wand (The Wall) preserves its source material's thought-provoking themes -- and serves as a brilliant showcase for Martina Gedeck, whose performance carries the film.

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Ethan Gilsdorf

Boston Globe

09/18/2013

Bleak and beautiful, harrowing yet inspiring, "The Wall" ("Die Wand") is a stunning tale of isolation and survival in a wild and silent world.

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Drew Hunt

Chicago Reader

09/12/2013

An elegant, slow-burning exercise in narrative minimalism.

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Stephanie Merry

Washington Post

08/23/2013

3/4

Plsler's film is quietly deliberate without ever feeling slow, thanks to a few handy assets at his disposal.

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Patrick Gamble

CineVue

02/26/2019

4/5

Pölsler has created a captivating and emotionally compelling parable which harks back to an era when popular sci-fi functioned as a thoughtful and vital study of contemporary issues.

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Mae Abdulbaki

Punch Drunk Critics

08/14/2018

3.5/5

Pölsler creates the perfect quiet and isolated atmosphere and Gedeck really sells it. Hauntingly sad.

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Ray Pride

Newcity

04/09/2014

The widescreen images of the Austrian landscape and the lovingly lit cabin interiors are unfailingly gorgeous, but Gedeck's the key asset: her fine, expressive features do almost as daunting a job as the words, words, words we hear.

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Sonya K

@RT28205830 Nov 3

Oh gosh. What a waste of time. Nothing happens. Its so boring. Well acted. So much potential. But nothing.

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Donna K

@RT37822416 05/13/2025

The acting was good but, I found this movie so depressing. She never leaves in dome. The dog dies. The cat dies. The cow dies. Ugh

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Mark B

@RT85234599 03/29/2025

Probably the lamest movie I forced myself to watch because of reviews. Could have been made by high school students

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Bruce E

@RT29071250 01/28/2025

For the sensitive and loving of nature both in its behavior and in its indifference. Heartbreaking and exuberant, it celebrates sorrow and ignores triumph as a construct of humans. Only watch this if you want to cry.

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Joe W

@JoeWasik 09/02/2024

Well made, but could use a more satisfying ending

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William H

@RT04116822 08/07/2024

Really bland. I believe some people inherently attach profoundness to narrative heavy films, but there simply is nothing here good here. The fairly interesting setup soon turns into a barrage of melancholic ramblings which leaves you waiting for the twist or turn (or anything), but it never happens. For how depressing & isolating the setting is, how obviously tough the protagonist found the situation, they accepted it remarkably quickly. Avoid.

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Julian Roman Poelsler

Director

Martina Gedeck

Woman

Karlheinz Hackl

Hugo

Ulrike Beimpold

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Wolfgang Maria Bauer

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Synopsis

Cut off from the outside world by an invisible and impenetrable barrier, a lone woman (Martina Gedeck) starts a journal of her experiences.

Director: Julian Roman Poelsler
Producer: Wasiliki Bleser, Rainer Kölmel, Martin Gschlacht, Antonin Svoboda, Bruno Wagner
Screenwriter: Julian Roman Poelsler
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: ORF, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) [at], Arte, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Coop99 Filmproduktion, StudioCanal, Starhaus Filmproduktion GmbH
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 7, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $38.7K
Runtime: 1h 48m