This gutsy German indie suspenser taps into the growing subculture of urban exploration. Also known as urban ‘spelunking’, this frequently illegal pastime sees daring types exploit decaying post-industrial urban centres, clambering around abandoned sites seeking thrills.
The first full-length release from controversial German filmmaker Andy Fetscher, Urban Explorers follows an international group of travellers – French tourist Marie, Korean backpacker Juna, American couple Lucia and Denis, and local guide Kris – as they descend into the 25,000 tunnels beneath Berlin in search of an abandoned Nazi shelter. As you’d expect, that’s not all they find.
Aside from a couple of festival screenings and a straight-to-DVD release in Japan, this will be the first time the film has been seen outside Germany. Reports have been mixed – the use of such a unique setting has been praised, but flimsy characterisation and the conventional mounting tension may let the finished product down.
