Periphery 2016
On a scorching Swiss national holiday, Zurich's simmering tensions bubble beneath the surface in *Periphery* (2016), Jan-Eric Mack's gripping drama. The film weaves together five disparate lives colliding in a city caught between celebration and unrest.
Director: Jan-Eric Mack
Cast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Periphery (2016) about?
*Periphery* follows five Zurich residents on Swiss National Day, each grappling with personal crises against the city's festive backdrop. Tensions rise as an activist's radical plans, a rookie cop's critical error, and a man's financial crisis intersect, revealing the cracks in their seemingly ordinary lives. The film paints a raw portrait of modern urban alienation and the thin line between desperation and defiance.
Who directed Periphery?
Jan-Eric Mack directed *Periphery*, bringing a keen eye for social realism and atmospheric storytelling to this ensemble drama.
Who stars in Periphery?
The film stars Roger Bonjour, Jaap Achterberg, José Barros, Elena Tronina, and Peter Hottinger in pivotal roles.
Is Periphery (2016) worth watching?
As an unrated drama, *Periphery* offers a compelling, if bleak, character study for fans of gritty, thematically rich cinema. Its focus on societal pressures and moral dilemmas makes it a thought-provoking watch, though its slow pace may not suit all viewers.
How long is Periphery?
The runtime of *Periphery* is 82 minutes.
🎥 Trailer
About Periphery (2016) — Five intertwined Swiss lives in a sweltering drama of pressure and rebellion
On a scorching Swiss national holiday, Zurich's simmering tensions bubble beneath the surface in *Periphery* (2016), Jan-Eric Mack's gripping drama. The film weaves together five disparate lives colliding in a city caught between celebration and unrest. Vinc, a fiery activist, plots a radical act against capitalism, while Sonam, a Tibetan-Swiss rookie cop, faces her first major blunder in a high-stakes operation. Meanwhile, Edi's world unravels as financial desperation tests his principles, and two more strangers navigate personal crises of their own. Mack crafts a tense, atmospheric narrative that explores isolation, moral ambiguity, and the fragility of human connections in a world of systemic pressures.
Shot in a raw, documentary-style aesthetic, *Periphery* captures the city's oppressive summer heat and underlying social fractures. The ensemble cast, led by Roger Bonjour and Elena Tronina, delivers nuanced performances that ground this character-driven story in authenticity. With its unflinching look at personal and societal peripheries, the film lingers as a poignant meditation on choice, consequence, and the quiet battles fought beyond the spotlight.