Bene Cumb It happens sometimes that a new person or event could trigger a recognition that you are so fond of something uncomfortable or even prohibited... An example of this we see in Verfolgt where both protagonists - a 16-years-old lad and a 50-years-old woman obtain new, sexually-related experiences. But as they live in a world of laws and prejudices, their action - though of mutual consent - give rise to problems both at physical and emotional level.All this here is skilfully, without sensationalism and pseudo-eroticism, depicted, and splendid performances (particularly Kostja Ullmann as Jan Winkler and Maren Kroymann as Elsa Seifert) let the film follow smoothly and without blah feelings. Whipping in German atmosphere is not, of course, very erotic, neither is black-and-white very sensual, but it is not disturbing - alike in many other "artistic" films. The ending, however, could have been more catchy, with a twist or something.Recommended, unless you feel embarrassed of the topics of SM and/or intergenerational relationships.

adamsoch-1 The mature, married couple are having an honest discussion about sex, and the way the film is unfolding it gives us the feeling of la laissez-faire, modern living. Not so fast. Elsa is the probation officer, Ralf is the husband and Jan is a 16-year-old good looking, strange delinquent. A very different, passionate and moving bond is formed between the Elsa and Jan, a forbidden love. Why something so beautiful need to be deplored or destroyed by some who do not understand it? Jan is young and different, Jan is attracted to something even he can't explain but let his feelings go, go as afar as they take him. Elsa, hesitant at first but is going along. "Punish Me" is a gentle film about violent desires, well written, beautifully filmed, impeccably acted and masterfully directed by Angelina Maccarone. It is full of tension, delight and surprises with a sensible and somehow open-ended, tender finish.

Chris Knipp Angelina Macarone's 'Puhish Me' (US title: German title is 'Verfogt,' Hounded) is another German short film released by the sadly defunct Picture This!, like Thomas Stuber's excellent 'Teenage Lust.'. Its topic is how a 50-year-old counselor becomes involved in a sadomasochistic relationship with one of her 16-year-old charges that he imposes on her; it's one of several Picture This! releases that might sound like exploitation, but is clear-eyed analysis. The narrative develops not in terms of titillating acts but as a fulfillment of mutual needs that both have but neither understands. The excellent performances of Maren Kroymann as the woman and Kostja Ulmann as the boy are very convincing. The film-making lacks the art of 'Teenage Angst,' but that plainness contributes to the sense that this is ano-nonsense look at a taboo subject -- an approach more likely to be seen in a small European film than in any American product, and a work of interest salvaged from the Locarno Festival secondary competition by Picture This!. This is the first time I've seen S&M in a film depicted in a way that truly made me relate to the participants and try to understand them, see them as acting out a raw deeply personal need rather than merely role-playing.'Punish Me' is a recent release by Picture This!, the indie distributor of mostly foreign coming-of-age and gay-related films (e.g. 'Garçon Stupide,' 'Come Undone,' 'Aimée and Jaguar,' 'Before the Fall') that as of Nov. 2009, after 13 years, has closed its doors. This and Stuber's 'Teenage Angst' are just two examples that Picture This! is a niche loss that will be felt both by viewers and by the industry.

gradyharp PUNISH ME (VERFOLGT), aptly photographed in rich black and white, is a deftly made German film that raises as many questions as disturbing thoughts, a film that in every definition is a film noir - and a superb one at that. Writer Susanne Billig and director Angelina Maccarone (note: two very talented women!) have concocted a tale of disparate matching between a 50-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy, a relationship that builds on sadomasochism as a means of filling voids in each character. The story could easily have become 'sensational' in less sensitive hands, but here, with the sound help of a superb and wholly credible cast, it asks us to examine the extremes to which people will go to feel complete.Jan Winkler (the gifted and inordinately handsome Kostja Ullmann) is 16 and on probation for petty crimes. He is assigned to parole officer Elsa Seifert (the fine actress Maren Kroymann), a 50-year-old frustrated woman in a marriage that has stagnated. Jan feels a strange attraction to Elsa, an act that at first Elsa rebuffs and discourages but gradually becomes fascinated with the attention and seductive behavior of the young Jan. Committed to helping Jan she manages to talk her husband into employing Jan at his car repair shop the two males strike up a friendship. In a series of subtle episodes Jan suggests his need for 'structuring' to Elsa: what he needs is Elsa to punish him physically, and when Elsa complies she is attracted to the process of sadomasochistic behavior (as the Dominatrix) as well as to the tenderness that always follows their dark sessions. Elsa's husband discovers his wife's relationship with Jan while Jan's friends uncover the secret, and the resulting behavior and recriminations flesh out the surprising ending.Both Ullmann and Kroymann are outstanding in these difficult roles and manage to maintain our empathy and understanding throughout the story. Both are exceptional actors and both have compelling screen presence. The cinematography allows us to once again remember how powerful black and white film can be. This is a film that some may find difficult to view (sadomasochism, teenage/older woman 'romance'), but the director keeps the story in tight rein and the result is a powerful tale of need and love and the sticky path that often joins the two feelings. In German with English subtitles. Recommended. Grady Harp