Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Him or you. One of you will die.”
A new serial killer terrorizes Berlin in the German thriller film ‘The Calendar Killer‘ (native title: Der Heimweg). He gives his victims the date of their murder, offering them a chilling choice: decide who really dies – them or their partner.
Created by Adolfo J. Kolmerer (director), Sebastian Fitzek (writer), and Susanne Schneider (writer), the film stars Luise Heyer as Klara, a married woman targeted by the Calendar Killer. The police dismiss Klara’s claims, and her abusive husband, Martin (Friedrich Mücke), gaslights her into believing she’s hallucinating. With no one on her side, Klara calls a helpline for women walking alone at night, where volunteer Jules (Sabin Tambrea) tries to assist her.
‘The Calendar Killer‘ is tense and anxiety-inducing, building solid suspense as it keeps viewers guessing whether Klara is truly being stalked by a serial killer or if her trauma from domestic violence is causing her to imagine it all. However, the disproportionately large amount of screen time given to Jules, the helpline volunteer, as he talks to Klara during her late-night journey home, raises questions about the plot’s direction. While the climactic twists ultimately justify Jules’ presence, they also make you question many of the earlier scenes. Essentially, it’s one of those films that deliberately misleads viewers with carefully constructed moments that are quite questionable.
Luise Heyer holds The Calendar Killer together as the distraught Klara, who is already suffocating in a bad marriage just to keep her daughter happy. Jules’ character stays in the same apartment for most of the 1-hour 37-minute runtime, working on the helpline and guiding Klara to safety, even though she always ends up in more trouble. You keep wondering – what’s the deal with this Jules?
Instead of immersing myself in the movie and patiently following its events, I found myself restless to see what would happen with the serial killer, while feeling largely disengaged from Klara’s interactions with Jules – except for the flashback scenes that offered insight into her life. This is where the filmmakers falter: they set up expectations of a gripping serial killer narrative, only to shift the focus to an extended conversation exploring the physical and psychological toll of abuse in marriage. Can Klara end the cycle of violence in her life? Well, the climax heads to a cliched ending, with dramatic twists, and depending on your mood, you might love or hate the end.
Rating: 5.5 on 10. Watch ‘Calendar Killer’ on Prime Video.
Also Read: Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 Review – Near Immaculate! (Audio version below)
