Styx

Premiering at the Berlinale, where it opened the Panorama Special section, STYX is a work of unrelenting intensity & technical brilliance. ER doctor Rike (Susanne Wolff) embarks on a one-woman solo sailing trip to Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean. When she comes across a sinking ship of refugees, she is quickly torn out of her contented and idealized world and must make a momentous decision. Aptly named after the mythological river that separates the living from the dead, STYX is an astute modern day parable of Western indifference in the face of marginalized suffering. Carrying practically the entire film Wolff is never less than remarkable in a riveting role as a woman pushed to her physical, psychological, and moral limits.

"[A] captivating, exhilarating cinematic experience...." ~ Alex Billington, FirstShowing.net

"Carrying practically the entire film, Wolff is never less than remarkable in a demanding role that’s 80 percent silence and 20 percent English-language dialogue. The fully inhabited turn should further help cement her international status as a star to be reckoned with...." ~ Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

"...with such effective, precise performances on both sides of the camera—making tension a constant in the changing inflection of physical and moral jeopardy—Styx emerges as one of the fest’s best." ~ Adrian Mack, The Georgia Straight

"Like the small sailboat on which it is set, Wolfgang Fischer’s extraordinarily gripping account of a one-woman solo voyage across the Atlantic that is suddenly interrupted when she comes across a sinking trawler overloaded with refugees, is brisk, efficient and thrillingly dynamic. This is “All Is Lost” with a spinning moral compass and a topical dimension that proves even more gripping than its brilliantly achieved visceral action." ~ Jessica Kiang, Variety