Unsichtbar - Zwischen zwei Welten (The Invisible)
U.S.A. 2007

Opening 10 May 2007

Directed by: David S. Goyer
Writing credits: Mick Davis, Christine Roum, Mats Wahl
Principal actors: Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Marquette, Alex O'Loughlin

Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) lives with his wealthy, aloof mother in impersonal luxury. Annie Newton (newcomer Margarita Levieva) lives in poverty with her ex-policeman father and stepmother and feels responsible for her neglected younger brother. Nick and Annie attend the same high school, and their eventual connection is almost fatal for Nick. After an attack by Annie, he is left broken and bleeding and arises in a state of half-dead. He participates in life as he knows it, but nobody sees him. He is “there,” but invisible with no impact on the real world. That is too bad because someone must find his body before his last breath. Will he be rescued? Will those responsible tell the truth?

Probably the film’s best asset is actor Justin Chatwin, looking like a cross between Edward Scissorhands and Bill Kaulitz of Tokio Hotel. According to my colleague Jan van Dieken, Chatwin “would have been very good if the director had given him a role,” i.e., a role besides that of following his mom, Annie, his friend Pete, Annie’s boyfriend, and Detective Larson from place to place, like the hand-wringing ghost that he is. Relatively unknown actors Christopher Marquette, Alex O’Loughlin, Alex Ferris, and Callum Keith Rennie also do their best and will be worth watching in the future. The Invisible is based on a Swedish film of the same name, and I can well understand that the story appealed to the producers of The Sixth Sense. In this version the suspense level rises, but then peaks early, until, by the time all actors congregate at the dam, you might as well leave early. It’s beautifully filmed on location in Vancouver and directed by David S. Goyer. (Becky Tan)