The deeply affecting performance by Desiree Nosbusch is the core of what first seems to be a pretty standard tale of youthful obsession. Teenager Simone (Nosbusch) fantasizes about getting together with "R" (Bodo Staiger), the pop singer whom she idolizes. She chucks it all to go on a journey to Munich to meet up with him. To her great joy, he is very nice to her at first. BUT, when he plans on abandoning her after getting what he wants from her, the already disturbed Simone snaps, and spends a great deal of time devising a way for him to always be with her.
We've all seen stories about unhinged admirers of entertainers who get homicidal when faced with a harsh dose of reality. But whatever "Der Fan" lacks in original premise, it is able to compensate with its sensitive treatment of the memorable title character. It's easy to sympathize with Simone until that final third when she utilizes her alone time with "R" to show just how far she can go. It's a doozy of a third act, largely because writer / director Eckhart Schmidt dares to take his time: he makes things very violent (but not overtly gory) and atmospheric, with the electronic score by Rheingold serving as the perfect accompaniment. A true exploitation-thriller, this features extensive sex and nudity, and yet titillation is not all that Schmidt has on his mind. He gets subtle, nuanced performances out of his main cast, and his film definitely works its way under the viewers' skin.
Eight out of 10.
