Something Real

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addiction ambush bald man in a tracksuit beatings blackmail brutal violence children deception desperation extortion fear hard-hitting cinema nouveau riche online danger prisoner rehabilitation single mother social services stepfather

Something Real

A bleak thriller that hits You like it’s protagonist

An ex-con uses his partner’s teenage daughter to lure and blackmail pedophiles, until he crosses paths with a man who has nothing left to lose. A bleak, brutal thriller about violence and desperation.

Karl has just been released from prison, but rehabilitation is the last thing on his mind. He quickly meets Leila, a single mother of two, and comes up with a new business idea. He uses her teenage daughter, Marta, as bait for online pedophiles: he lures them to the apartment, records them, and blackmails them. He subjects his teenage stepson to brutal force and toxic machismo. The business starts turning a profit, and the family quickly moves up in the world. Gold chains, expensive tracksuits, fur coats, and a new house. Karl finally has everything he dreamed of behind bars. But then Leo, a pornography-addicted corporate employee who has long been miserable in his family life, falls into his trap. He has nothing to lose, and his arrival sends Karl’s profitable business and seemingly ordered life spiraling into chaos.

“Something Real” is a bleak Estonian-Lithuanian thriller that hits you right between the eyes. Packed with pornography, bitterness, and brutal violence, it tells a story of loneliness and desperation with remarkable confidence. None of the main characters in this small but powerful film is particularly easy to like. Karl is like a bulldozer with no brakes, just as effective at running over other people’s lives as he is at wrecking his own. Leo, meanwhile, is a weak man who would never have fought for himself if he had not been pushed to the brink. After watching “Something Real,” the world may seem a little brighter, more bearable, and everyday problems a little less overwhelming.

For director Evar Anvelt, “Something Real” is his feature debut. The screenplay was written by Martin Algus, based on his own novel. Kristo Viiding is electrifying as Karl, a character who is simultaneously repulsive, brutal, masterfully manipulative, and painfully lonely. His outstanding performance makes “Something Real” essential viewing for fans of hard-hitting cinema. He is joined by Jan Uuspõld as Leo, Jaanika Arum as Leila, and the moving Kity Liis Kallas as Marta.