Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso Review: A Bold Dive into Marco Klammer’s Abyss!
Controversial and unconventional filmmaker Juval Marlon (Sturmgewehr, Strychnin) is back. Never following a set formula to his madness Marlon has made different styles of films from documentary style to unflinching pseudo snuff material. The limits are boundless and refreshing. His last outing titled Solitude of the Tormentors (read review here) was a memorable ode to human scum taking advantage of the disabled while dabbling in a Marian Dora-esque presentation.
Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso plays out as an autobiographical depiction of actor Marco Klammer (The Yearning of Maria D, Solitude of the Tormentors). Klammer does the narration and talks about different subjects mostly pertaining to his own existence. Klammer also explains there are obviously staged occurrences involving murder and other carnage which are not real and included for fantasy.
Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso is a revealing look at Klammer and what makes him tick. It’s a candid viewing of the actor and his reflections on life. I know Klammer wasn’t entirely pleased with the movie and his portrayal because it can be rather racy and exposing. In some instances, it can be too personal, but I believe he is absolutely brilliant in this. He opened himself up, made himself vulnerable, and it was an immense risk and undertaking.
Klammer was friends with Shivabel Coeurnoir (her actual name was Sara Negrisolo), a model actress who passed away in 2021. I watched Shivabel in Marian Dora’s film The Yearning of Maria D but she was in a number of films by director Cosmotropia de Xem. Klammer starred alongside the actress in The Yearning of Maria D. Klammer felt a strong connection with Shivabel as a soulmate and mourns her death and passing. In the film he visits her grave to pay tribute.
In Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso (which translates to Death March to Chiasso) we also get an interview with actress Isabelle Fitzgerald (Solitude of the Tormentors) and Klammer opens up about his agoraphobia. Even while filming this fear causes him much grief. I found amusement when Klammer talked about meeting Fitzgerald years ago at a horror con. He said she was carrying around a dead dog preserved in formaldehyde in a jar. He told her it was in poor taste!
There are bizarre, simulated scenes in Todesmarsch with Klammer acting. He kills a woman in one scene, and he kills a prostitute in another scene after sexual intercourse. He also acts in a scene rolling around a bed naked and bloodied with a bunch of severed doll heads.
Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso is definitely a unique film as it mixes a bunch of scenarios together and the viewer can decide whether they are authentic or merely theatrics. I’m hoping the film will find an audience as it’s not your typical edgy underground horror production. Instead, it’s something unique by taking an unconventional approach and I applaud Marlon for doing what he wanted to do. It’s ballsy and I respect that.
Marco Klammer is the star here and quite frankly the best scenes are with him simply talking about himself, his life, and his opinions. Todesmarsch Nach Chiasso has a bleak tone but despite the violence and shock scenes when it’s all stripped down, the autobiographical aspect really brings it home for me and makes it a winner.
Directed by: Juval Marlon
Written by: Juval Marlon, Marco Klammer
Produced by: Juval Marlon
Cinematography by: Juval Marlon
Editing by: Juval Marlon
Music by: Timo L. Klien
Cast: Marco Klammer, Isabelle Fitzgerald, Anastasia Tschikatilo, Jennyfer Frielingsdorf, Philipp Melicker, Shivabel Coeurnoir
Year: 2023
Country: Switzerland/Germany
Language: German (English Subtitles)
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 12min
Studio: Beheading Films
Distributor: UncutTV
