The Reel Review
A German emergency doctor on a sailing vacation from Gibraltar to Ascension Island off the Atlantic coast of northern Africa finds her idyllic journey upended, when she encounters a sinking fishing trawler overloaded with refugees. Suzanne Wolff stars in this 2018 adventure drama.
Styx is the mythical river in Greek mythology that separates the living from the dead – a fitting title given the harrowing subject matter of this film. Wolff (Morgen hör ich auf, The Three Musketeers) does an outstanding job juggling the physical and emotional demands of her role, where dialogue is limited, even drawing comparison to 2013’s All is Lost starring Robert Redford. Writer/director Wolfgang Fischer keeps the bare bones story taut and suspenseful.
Ultimately, Styx is a thought-provoking and stinging indictment of Western indifference to the plight of refugees, and the frustration experienced by those few who are quickly overwhelmed when they do try to help.
REEL FACTS
• Asa Gray, the yacht in Styx, is named for a 19th century American botanist.
• Styx won 30 awards on the international film festival circuit and was a Platform Prize nominee at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Suzanne Wolff won the Best Actress prize at the 2019 German Film Awards.
• Styx was filmed in Germany, Gibraltar, and Malta (for the sailing scenes).
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