The+Coming+Days

Die Kommenden Tage (The Coming Days) is a German sci-fi thriller. It is dystopian vision of the future documenting the changing relationship of two sisters in response to political changes in the years 2012 to 2020. The European Union has disintegrated and Germany has sealed off its borders against the flow of refugees from Africa. Food and energy are scarce; the social division of society is significantly increased. Wars break out and throughout the film plot; the Bundeswehr sends troops to Turkmenistan, so that Germany can secure resources there. In the cities, the wealthier sections congregate into security zones, guarded by security forces. The two sisters live in these wealthier sections, but choose different paths. One sister (Laura) has to choose between her want to have kids and her love of her eye-diseased boyfriend (Hans). Her boyfriend Konstantin pulls the other sister Cecilia into a terrorist organization. The two sisters face the destabilizing civilization with fear and hope.

Sound is one of the most important aspects in this film and, in my opinion, is what makes the movie. A varied, yet complimenting soundtrack was compiled, and each piece adds emotion and feeling to its respective scene. When Laura and Hans have their first date and go out into the woods, a joyful, happy tune is playing, overpowering the sounds of the diegetic sounds of the movie. This focuses the viewer's, or rather listener's, attention on the music, which works well to give the scene a very cheerful and enjoyable feel. Another example of sound work is a scene towards the end of the movie when Cecilia and Konstatin join in a police operation of their terrorist organization. The organization members dress up as riot control personnel and fight a crowd of rioters. Cecilia and Konstatin are separated from the main group and ambushed. They withstand the beating because of their protective armor, but are still injured. As Cecilia is being beat, the sounds slowly fade out and are replaced by normal room tone. This is effective, as it replicates Cecilia’s feeling of numbness. No sound is sometimes more effective at evoking emotions than actual sound and this is the case here. Finally, another application of sound is in the very first scene. Laura is narrating, making this a diegetic sound. From her narration, one can include that the scene is actually towards the end of the chronological order of the movie. It also gives the viewer a feeling that she has experienced a lot throughout the following events, which is true. This leads over into the editing of the movie.  As for editing, one important choice the editor made is the placement of the first scene. Even though the scene repeats itself at the actual place in the chronological order, the editor chose to use it in the beginning of the movie and add Laura’s narration. This emphasizes the scene and lets the viewer focus on it. By seeing it once, the viewer thinks about the scenes meaning and it enforces the movie’s overall tone of reflection on events. When the scene is repeated, the viewer remembers it and can reflect some more. \