Written and directed by Timm Kröger, co-written by Roderick Warich, Johannes, a doctor of physics, travels with his doctoral supervisor to a scientific congress in the Alps. A series of mysterious incidents occur on site. He meets Karin, a mysterious jazz pianist who seems to know more about him than she can know. Starring: Jan Bülow, Olivia Ross, Hanns Zischler, Gottfried Breitfuss, Philippe Graber, David Bennent, Imogen Kogge, Emanuel Waldburg-Zeil and Vivienne Bayley.
The first thing that has to be said is even if you paid zero attention to the story of The Universal Theory, you still couldn’t help but to be enamoured by its visual. The quality is exceptional, it’s rich and textured and jumps off the screen with its detail and enveloping nature. The cinematography from Roland Stuprich is mesmerising and befits the mysterious nature of the film perfectly.
Timm Kröger’s direction and atmosphere then add a fascinating variety of layers, the key one being that of a 1940s horror film. It’s such an unusual choice and yet works so well, it brings a bigger personality and fluidity to what is quite a reserved plot. There may be a few deaths but it’s not going for gore and shock, it’s using those elements to its advantage to quietly play out its mystery. Although, one element which certainly is not quiet is the score, it’s working overtime to add a highly dramatic note, pulled straight from classic film.
The ensemble then keeps that going with some strong performances which all add their own note of suspicion and secrets. Jan Bülow gives us that slightly naïve and filled with curiosity quality in Johannes. He’s a great lead to see this story through his eyes, he’s passionate and caring but also determined. Then Olivia Ross brings in the romantic air while also being plenty aloof and enigmatic, bringing out Johannes’ qualities even further. Hanns Zischler and Gottfried Breitfuss are also excellent in those classic professor roles, presenting such different teaching styles and butting heads.
However, the success all of those elements is reliant upon how the story plays out and unfortunately, it doesn’t feel particularly satisfying. It starts off well but crumbles in its second half, trying to dive down deep into a rabbit hole that just doesn’t have enough detail or intrigue to work fully. It’s a shame as the premise is interesting, despite how repetitively alternate timelines have appeared in recent film and television but that latter half is rather slow and loses your attention by the time it’s ready for its big finale.
The Universal Theory certainly portrays that living in another world will not serve you well, needing to keep your feet on the ground. The direction and cinematography are very strong work, the performances are great but the story lets it down. It can’t maintain its momentum in the second half, and everything ultimately fizzles out and undermines the rest of the experience. There’s a great deal of potential and talent at work but it simply doesn’t all come together for a satisfying resolution.
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