Nogo

Colour, 35mm
Austria, 2002, 87 min
Section: Variety Critics´ Choice

Synopsis

Billed as a gas station triptych, "Nogo" spins three separate stories about young couples obsessively bound together against the world, before uniting the six characters in an explosive finale. Debuting Austrian writer-directors Sabine Hiebler and Gerhard Ertl, whose background is in experimental films, create a stylish package with intriguing characters and situations, coolly composed visuals and a vigorous pace. First couple is station attendant Joe (Oliver Korittke) and passing customer Maria (Meret Becker), who stops for coffee. Second is mechanic Tom (Juergen Vogel), who dreams of owning a gas station but lacks finances until his terminally ill wife, Lisa (Jasmin Tabatabai), decides to sell off her vital organs. Third chapter tracks two haphazard bank robbers (Mavie Horbiger, Michael Ostrowski), whose getaway car is stuck in the station´s garage. David Rooney