The film is set in an old suburb of Vienna traversed by the local railway line and full of dilapidated houses. In this district, an old man by the name of Rudolf Pawlik lives a quiet, contented life devoid of excitement and danger. He has never known anything different. When his neighbour dies and new tenants move in, his existence is transformed. Herbert is a small-time crook. Michaela, a young Czech woman, is his girlfriend, her daughter is called Agnes. Pawlik hates Herbert from the moment he sets eyes on him, and falls in love with Michaela. Pawlik’s feelings for Michaela turn into an obsession, and the old man who was once so amiable is now ready to follow his feelings through to the very end. The one enemy who stands in the way of all his plans is Herbert … The Neighbour tells the story of four people. Their true relations, their longings and their dependencies are all hidden behind an innocent facade which we witness gradually breaking down. A film showing how feelings can be exploited, and how love and money are interrelated. –Austrian Film Commission
Born in Wels in 1961, grew up in Vienna. Starts writing and directing while still in school. His first film is aired on television in 1978. In 1980 he starts studying screenwriting and directing at the Vienna Film Academy. Two films completed during his studies receive international prizes and are screened at the Stadtkino, an arthouse cinema in Vienna. Spielmann graduates in 1987. Soon afterwards, he writes and directs four cinema and made-for-TV films in succession.
In 1999, after several years of silence, his next feature film The Stranger (Die Fremde) is Austria’s nomination for the Foreign Language Oscar. This is followed by Spiel im Morgengrauen, a made-for-TV movie, and in 2004 the feature Antares.
Antares is shown internationally at more than 30 festivals, and at arthouse theaters in many countries including France, the USA, and Germany. Antares is nominated by Austria to compete for the Foreign Language Oscar. Its explicit sex… read more