In a town where darkness envelops the streets and the plague is ravaging the people, he finds himself trapped in the shadow of Gretchen, an elderly alchemist nearing the end of a life woven with knowledge. F. W. Murnau’s camera brings the weaknesses of the human spirit and the stench of decaying flesh to the screen through the grotesque lines of German Expressionism. That dangerous bargain with the devil begins with the promise of eternal youth, but the price is to set everything left behind ablaze. Drawing on mythology, this Gothic fantasy leaves the viewer in the midst of a breathless darkness at that ancient threshold where faith and greed collide.

3 wins