Woodland

"Woodland" (Wald, 2023) is an Austrian drama you can watch online on iFILM, written and directed by Elisabeth Scharang, with Brigitte Hobmeier and Gerti Drassl leading the cast.

The film has two roots. One is the 2015 novel "Wald" by bestselling Austrian author Doris Knecht. The other is Scharang's own experience: she witnessed the November 2020 Vienna terrorist attack firsthand, when a gunman opened fire in the city centre. The film's protagonist retreats into the forest — not as escape exactly, but as a way to process what the city left behind. Bogdan Dumitrache and Johannes Krisch round out the ensemble.

Slow and deliberate, this is European arthouse filmmaking where the woods function as both setting and emotional register. A better fit for viewers drawn to atmospheric drama than those expecting plot momentum. Stream "Woodland" (Wald, 2023) online on iFILM.