Critics reviews

It’s as vivid in its portrayal of detonating anger issues as "Uncut Gems" was in getting into the skin of a thrill-seeking risk addict... But most essential is the central performance: Zengel’s oscillating wild joys and storming furies are painful to watch. A moment when she howls for her mother (always tantalisingly out of reach) brought me to tears.

This is a wildly impressive first narrative feature, powered along by a strong cast, great chemistry, virtuoso flourishes, and fierce energy. Parents struggling with newfound home-schooling duties and frayed nerves might like to watch and thank their lucky stars.

While the film certainly derives real verve from Benni’s punkish energy (brilliantly conveyed by Zengel), it depicts this girl’s racing downward spiral as a problem with no easy solutions. For as "System Crasher" plays the prepubescent Benni’s out-of-control ebullience off against Micha’s more mature self-restraint, we are left to wonder what it will take for the foul-mouthed antiheroine to make this transition – and what else she might have to lose along the way.

[Zengel] is an extraordinary talent whose performance will keep you glued to the screen throughout, her character Benni sometimes frightening, sometimes tragic, always wild... As intelligent as it is emotive, this tightly focused, personal story has a lot to say about a complex subject, and never takes the easy route.

Fingscheidt is prone to occasional cutesiness in the characterisation... but she doesn’t soft-pedal the girl’s volatility. [This] is an absorbing piece of filmmaking.

"System Crasher" might sound like a tough watch, but the film is anything but bleak. Steeped in a certain realist tradition, somewhat reminiscent of the Dardennes brothers – "The Kid with a Bike," especially – and Xavier Dolan’s "Mommy," Fingscheidt’s film pulses with life, capturing perfectly the headstrong, reckless nature of Benni herself.

A gruesome, compelling film... There are times, when Zengel is performing with other children, especially younger children, when you get the strange sense that this isn’t acting – it is actually happening. A grisly, gripping watch.

While Zengel is a revelation, she's propped up by a fine supporting cast, each afforded plenty of nuance by writer-director Fingscheidt's characterisations... her film castigates no one, recognising that these issues are hugely intricate. It's a stressful, draining experience, but undoubtedly worthwhile.

Zengel is a balled-up fist of energy in the title role, getting across the sweetness that can convince those who take pity on Benni that “she’s making progress,” but unleashing hell in a flash to remind them she isn’t. An excellent supporting cast suggests empathy that crosses into pity, which “the system” doesn’t allow.

Fingscheidt illustrates Benni’s breakdowns with abstract bursts of color and noise that are so anxiety-inducing that you too feel as though you’re about to explode. This imagery, paired with John Gürtler’s intense score and, of course, Zengel’s performance, creates an onscreen manifestation of emotional damage unlike any other.

As bold and confrontational as its subject... The film is frenetic and visceral, with a score by John Gürtler that’s as intense and overflowing with energy as Benni – her screams often match the clashing cymbals on the soundtrack, resulting in a symphony of rage.

‘System Crasher’ may veer towards being over-sympathetic in its approach to its violently problematic protagonist – Benni is a wrecking ball at times – but it delivers a powerful exposé of the limitations of the foster system. And with its impressive young star to the fore, it is heartbreakingly intimate.