The possibility of redemption

Started the day at 6 AM. Margruite and Harry were heading out to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, near Tolstoi, at 6:30 AM, so saw a chance for a nice one way morning ride - 80 ks. Rode non-stop in 2 hours and 38 minutes (avg - 30.58 kph) (There was basically no wind.). 

Yesterday we watched Revanche, (Austrian) a kind of crime thriller, although it's as much drama as anything. The main character, Alex, an Austrian ex-con works at a brothel. He's in love with a Russian immigrant, Tamara,  who's working as whore to pay off an illegal immigration debt. He's also struggling with his relationship with an aging father who still needs his help on the family farm. Alex and Tamara are indeed in love and, as her situation in the brothel deteriorates, he devises a plan to rob the bank in his own small town. After he steals a car, and she runs away from the brothel, they set off to rob the bank and to start a better life. Things derail suddenly, however, due to his own errors, and Alex is left with guilt, regret, and a deep desire for revenge.

I will do no more to spoil this show for you, because I recommend it highly! You will not find this kind of gutsy writing in Hollywood. With minimal violence, the tension stays high. Every conversation becomes fully loaded, and the characters all say what needs to be said in order to drive things along. The tension arises from the possibility of violence, and from the stark confrontations of people in high stakes conversations. And, the wonderfully enlightened (or just more realistic? less Hollywood?) revelation becomes that, although people, in extremity, threaten to do rash and dangerous things, when confronted by the humanity and suffering of their fellow travellers, can and will step away from this brinkmanship. This is a thriller, with the possibility of redemption.