Last year, at the 39. SIC – International Critics’ Week, Austrian director Bernhard Wenger made its debut with his first feature film, Peacock. Over the past few months, we have followed Peacock’s journey with pride, up to its most recent and exciting milestone as Austria’s Official Entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.

Inspired by the Rent-A-Friend agencies phenomenon, Wenger has managed to portray — with both irony and compassion — the existential condition of the modern man and “the inevitable realisation of a bitter truth: life is fiction, life is appearance, life is vanity” (Beatrice Fiorentino, General Delegate).

Albrecht Schuch (All Quiet on the Western Front) stars as Matthias, a master of his profession.
Need a “cultured boyfriend” to impress your friends?
A “perfect son” to influence your business partners’ opinion of you?
Or maybe just a sparring partner to rehearse an argument?
Whatever it is, you can just rent a Matthias.
But while he excels at pretending to be someone else every day, just being himself is the real challenge.

Following its participation at SIC, Peacock continued its journey at various festivals, including Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival (Best Debut) and Les Arcs Film Festival (Audience Award). The film went on to sell in nearly 40 countries worldwide and is now screening all over Europe and the United States.

“A sparkling, funny, and gently poignant debut. A superb black comedy — surprisingly polished and witty. This Critics’ Week standout has already achieved strong sales thanks to its sparkling, easily exportable satire and Albrecht Schuch’s magnetic performance. A remarkable comic turn of physical ingenuity and repressed emotional despair from Schuch. A film smart and original enough to withstand inevitable comparisons with Yorgos Lanthimos and Ruben Östlund — though Peacock is a degree or two warmer than both. Wenger’s screenplay is a cleverly balanced contraption that sharply yet compassionately targets corporate and capitalist ideals of self-improvement and social coordination, without mocking the individuals trapped by them.”
Guy Lodge, Variety

“An assured, witty debut. Smoothly structured and peppered with dry comic moments. The smart concept, social commentary, and a strong central performance combine to create a polished, slyly entertaining work that should attract arthouse audiences. Wenger reveals his affinities with Yorgos Lanthimos and Ruben Östlund in his approach to human vulnerability and social critique. Schuch’s sincere performance and comic timing ensure that Matthias remains a sympathetic presence as he navigates the horrors and opportunities of a brave new life based on honesty.”
Allan Hunter, SCREEN

“A dry, accentuated humour that tiptoes around the surreal. Schuch has chameleonic qualities. No matter what over-the-top scenarios Wenger throws at him, he embraces them and plays them straight, further enhancing the satire. The humour in this (anti-)hero’s journey does not stem from quips or slapstick, but rather from the tragic realities of life’s absurdities.”
Susanne Gottlieb, Cineuropa

We could not be more proud to have been part of this exciting journey and we can only wish the very best of luck to the Peacock team, as we look forward to discovering where this adventure will lead next. For additional details and further updates, you can visit mk2films.com or Peacock official Instagram page.