Revanche 2009

Alex, an ex-con living in Vienna, works as muscle at a brothel and soon starts a tense, hopeful romance with Tamara, a Ukrainian prostitute who also works there. He sketches a plan to rob a bank in a small village, then slip away with his grandfather Hausner, who lives nearby on a rural farm, before starting a new life with Tamara. Ambitiously, he invites Tamara to join him on the robbery, despite her anxious and clingy nature, and the two push forward with the risky scheme.

Outside the bank, they collide with a local policeman named Robert, and tragedy strikes when Tamara is accidentally killed as Robert fires at their fleeing vehicle. A dejected Alex narrowly escapes and follows through on his plan to hide at Hausner’s farm, believing the worst is behind him. Meanwhile, Robert’s relationship with his wife Susanne is already strained—she struggles with infertility, and his growing guilt over the shooting weighs heavily on their marriage. The couple happens to be neighbors to Hausner, and Susanne remains friendly with him, which brings her into contact with Alex during visits.

As Alex lurks in the shadows of the farm life, Susanne inadvertently learns that her husband was the shooter. Heartened by his guilt but haunted by it, Alex begins stalking Robert with a loaded gun, sensing a chance to even the score in his own way. An impulsive Susanne, seemingly oblivious to the danger, propositions Alex during a visit to the farm, and the two embark on an affair. Robert endures a panic attack at work and is put on suspension, eventually opening up to Susanne about his own remorse and self-loathing over the past violence.

The tension between the men thickens as Alex confronts Robert in the woods, speaking in veiled terms about the shooting. Robert concedes his regret but also rebukes the robber for bringing Tamara along, noting the added danger and chaos. After Robert leaves, Alex discards his gun in a pond, signaling a personal decision to move away from violent retaliation. As Hausner’s health declines, Alex resolves to remain at the farm to help manage and preserve it, tying his fate more firmly to the land and its aging caretaker.

In a surprising turn, Susanne becomes pregnant through her affair with Alex, claiming the child as Robert’s to keep face with him and their social circle. She visits Alex again, intent on ending their liaison, and recognizes a photo of Tamara, which confirms Alex’s identity as the robber. Faced with this revelation, Alex agrees to keep their secret and to refrain from harming Robert any further, choosing to stay on the farm and continue his work there as his new reality.