When his girlfriend goes missing in the grungy, neon-ridden world of a futuristic Berlin, bartender Leo (Alexander Skarsgard) takes up the mantle of amateur gumshoe to solve the crime. Due to an accident that took place at a young age, Leo is unable to speak. This, coupled with his Amish background, leaves him an anachronistic anomaly, sorely limited in the sin-city underground world around him. As the mystery unfolds, the tale of his girlfriend’s disappearance proves to be couched in a plot far grittier than he anticipated.

When it comes to the slime and grime of dystopian settings, where indulgences are lived out in grotesque ways and all of nature is traded in for glow-in-the-dark train tracks or high-rise cityscapes painted in scandalous advertising, it can often be hard to watch. Indeed, is it even worth it to push through a movie that leaves you feeling somewhat disturbed?

From Dove’s perspective, this movie not only finds itself disqualified from a Seal of Approval, but also lands itself in a camp where quality, in general, needs to be questioned. Even those willing to push through grit if a good message is at the other end will find themselves disappointed by Mute, a film where pay-off is small and the journey to get there is arduous. Watch at your own risk, but note that it’s definitely not a film to turn on during family night.