Cyankali Review: A 1920s movie that is actually pretty upsetting

Is this worth your time?

If you are in the mood for something happy or light, run away now. This movie is a total gut-punch.

It is for people who like history or movies that feel like a protest. If you hate old movies that feel like a lecture, you might find it a bit much.

I watched this late at night and it honestly left me feeling a bit sick. Not because of gore, but just because of how trapped the main character feels.

The story follows Hete. She is played by Grete Mosheim, who has these huge, expressive eyes that seem to get bigger as things go wrong.

She works a boring job, she is poor, and then she finds out she is pregnant. In 1929 Germany, there was this law called Paragraph 218 that made abortion illegal.

The movie doesn't hide how much it hates that law. It feels less like a piece of art and more like a shout for help.

There is a scene in a doctor's office that is just... cold. The doctor is polite but basically tells her she has no choice but to have the kid she can't afford.

I noticed how the camera lingers on her face when she realizes she is truly alone. It goes on a few seconds too long, making it feel very uncomfortable.

It is way more intense and angry than something like The Artist. That movie feels like a dream, while this feels like a nightmare.

Hete's mother is also in the movie, and she is just as desperate. They live in this tiny apartment where the walls feel like they are squeezing the characters.

The lighting is very stark. Lots of deep shadows and bright, harsh whites in the hospital scenes.

Eventually, she goes to a back-alley person for help. It is exactly as grim as you think it would be.

The title, Cyankali, refers to cyanide. That should tell you where the ending is headed.

I did think the boyfriend character was a bit of a dud. He didn't seem to have much personality besides being worried.

Also, some of the subtitles in the version I saw were a bit clunky. It didn't really matter because you can see the pain on their faces anyway.

It’s not a fun watch like Mama's Baby Boy. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to sit in silence for a while after it ends.

There is this one shot of a crowded street where everyone is just walking past her. She is drowning in plain sight and nobody cares.

The pacing is a bit weird in the middle. It slows down a lot during the political arguments about the law.

But when it gets back to Hete, it picks up again. Grete Mosheim really carries the whole thing on her shoulders.

I liked how the movie didn't try to make her look like a hero. She’s just a person who is scared and has no good options.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in Arsenal, where the filmmaking feels like it’s exploding off the screen.

If you can handle the sadness, it’s a very powerful watch. Just maybe have a comedy ready to watch right after. 🎞️

• The doctor’s glasses reflect the light in a way that makes him look like a robot.
• The apartment set looks like it actually smells like old cabbage.
• The ending is abrupt and very dark.