Hells Bells

Hell'sBellsisanewfeature-lengthfilmbyJohnBock.DevelopedoverthelastfiveyearsandshotinGermanyin2016,thefilmisstyledasacontemporaryWestern.ItinterweavesthefamiliarstoryandstockcharactersofthegenrewiththetheatricalandanarchicmodeofSurrealismforwhichBockhasbecomeknown.Thestoryunfoldsinagloomy,nocturnalrealm-anindistinctconflationofrealityanddream-centeringonanunnamedtown.Againstabackdropofsimultaneousindustrializationandgrindingpoverty,Bocktellsthestoryofastranger(playedbyBibianaBeglau)whoarrivesintownpursuedbymysteriousguilt.Sheisaccompaniedbyayoungdeafgirl,whoemergesgraduallyasapowerfulforce-telepathicallycontrollingthecourseofthestory.Aconflictdevelopsbetweentwoothercharacters-thelocalpriest(UlrichMatthes)andadiabolical,dandifiedvillain(LarsEidinger)whoplayswithDeathinthestyleofamedievaldemon.Eachcharacterisrevealedtobeburdenedbyadifferentkindofguilt-stemmingvariouslyfromthelossofachild,thelossofmorality,andthelossofreligion.