Die Gottesanbeterin

An aging hausfrau finds hobby-murder an intoxicating sport in The Praying Mantis, an expertly played black comedy that´s beautifully lensed in widescreen and casts an ironic eye on Austria´s parochial mindset. Mantis recalls some adaptations of German novelist Ingrid Noll´s dark comedies featuring murderous women, especially Rainer Kaufmann´s The Pharmacist. Christiane Höerbiger is terrific as Trixi, a still-trim grandmother who escapes her dull home life with Siggi (Klaus Ofczarek), a model airplane enthusiast. You know the pic is not going to be your average middle-class drama when she´s spotted one day by Karli (Peter Faerber), a sleazy friend of her husband´s, and she calmly gives him oral sex to ensure he´ll keep her secret. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)