2017
6.5
3.0K
views
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Western
2017
6.5
3.0K
views
saved
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A group of German construction workers set out for a foreign construction site in the Bulgarian province. The strange country awakens adventure feelings among the men. At the same time, they are confronted with their prejudices and mistrust. For two of the men, a nearby village becomes the stage for a competition for the recognition and favor of the village.
Countries:
AT, DE
Languages:
English, Bulgarian, German, French
Runtime:
2hrs 1min
Status:
Released
Release date:
2017-08-24
Release format:
Streaming
— Aug 24, 2017
This is a great film. Valeska Grisebach has crafted a quiet, Beau Travailesque, very interesting film that depicts a culture clash of sorts - a group of German construction workers go to a tiny village in Bulgaria and when the work dries up, they get bored and interact with the locals. As the title sugests, the loose plot resembles a frontier story with bad guys, good guys, horses and dames. But this film is anything but a genre film.
The main character 'Meinhardt' is played brilliantly by Meinhard Neumann - and the entire cast are non actors, which gives it that neo-realistic quality.
The way Grisebach handles the tension is impressive. The Germans offend the locals by insulting a local girl, the Bulgarians retaliate by stealing a German flag that has been antagonisingly placed on their accomodation. There are moments of silence and moments where the Bulgarians and Germans are speaking their languages and don't understand each other, so the viewer is left spying in on these interactions wondering if the characters have understood what we have just heard. It's all very real and feels like an explosion of violence could occur at any point, but it rarely does.
The very last scene is a little underwhelming as there's not really any conclusion but other than that it's an extremely well made film.