Character Relationship Map: Revanche

Characters

• Alex (played by Johannes Krisch) — protagonist

  Alex is an ex-convict working as muscle at a brothel in Vienna. He plans a bank robbery with Tamara, but her accidental death during their escape drives him into hiding with Hausner. He begins an affa...

• Tamara (played by Irina Potapenko) — protagonist

  Tamara is a Ukrainian prostitute working at the brothel where she has a relationship with Alex. She accompanies him during the bank robbery despite his plan to leave with her, but Robert accidentally...

• Robert (played by Andreas Lust) — supporting

  Robert is a local policeman who encounters Alex and Tamara outside the bank. During their escape, he fires at the car and accidentally kills Tamara, then struggles with guilt, panic, and self-loathing...

• Susanne (played by Ursula Strauss) — supporting

  Susanne is Robert's wife and Hausner's good friend and neighbor. Her strained marriage and inability to conceive lead her into an affair with Alex, who is secretly seeking revenge against Robert. Afte...

• Hausner (played by Johannes Thanheiser) — supporting

  Hausner is Alex's grandfather and a farmer living near Robert and Susanne. He provides Alex with a place to hide after Tamara's death, while Susanne visits him as a friend. As Hausner's health deterio...

• Robert's mother (played by Linde Prelog) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Robert's mother → Robert (mother)
• Alex → Hausner (Family Grandson) — Hausner is Alex's grandfather and provides the refuge that enables Alex's later transformation.

  Alex plans to hide at his grandfather Hausner's farm after the robbery.

• Robert → Susanne (Family Husband) — Their marriage is strained by infertility concerns and Robert's repressed guilt.

  Robert is explicitly described as Susanne's husband.

• Alex → Susanne (Romantic Affair Partners) — Their affair connects the bereaved robber to the shooter's household and deepens the moral entanglement.

  Susanne propositions Alex during a farm visit, and they commence an affair.

• Alex → Tamara (Romantic Lovers) — Their intimate relationship motivates Alex's robbery plan and shapes his grief after her death.

  Alex starts a relationship with Tamara at the brothel and plans to leave with her for a new life.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Susanne → Hausner (Social Close Friends) — Their friendship gives Susanne a natural reason to visit the farm and encounter Alex.

  Susanne and Hausner are neighbors, and the plot states that Susanne is good friends with him.

• Tamara → Robert (Conflict Unintended Victim) — Their direct encounter is brief but defines the film's central moral conflict.

  Robert fires at Alex and Tamara's fleeing car, and Tamara is accidentally killed.

• Alex → Robert (Conflict Adversaries) — The shooting turns the two men into opposing forces driven by guilt, anger, and the threat of revenge.

  Robert fires at the fleeing robbery car, accidentally killing Tamara, and Alex later stalks Robert with a loaded gun.

• Robert → Hausner (Social Neighbors) — Their neighboring homes connect Robert's domestic life to Alex's hiding place.

  Robert and Susanne are neighbors to Hausner.

Story Analysis

After a robbery destroys his intended new life, Alex moves from revenge toward responsibility while guilt binds the surviving characters together.

Plot Progression

1. A Dangerous Escape Plan — Alex and Tamara begin a relationship in Vienna. Alex plans a bank robbery, a refuge at Hausner's farm, and a new life with Tamara.
2. The Roadside Tragedy — Alex and Tamara rob a village bank and encounter Robert while fleeing. Robert's gunfire accidentally kills Tamara, destroying their escape plan.
3. Guilt And Entanglement — Alex hides at Hausner's farm and discovers Robert's identity. At the same time, Robert's guilt damages his marriage and Susanne begins an affair with Alex.
4. Revenge Reconsidered — Robert suffers a panic attack and confesses his guilt to Susanne. Alex confronts him in the woods, hears his regret, and throws away the gun.
5. An Uneasy Settlement — Alex chooses to care for Hausner's farm. Susanne's pregnancy and recognition of Tamara's photograph expose the affair, but both agree to preserve the secret.