This multi-award-winning German film is set in the years before World War I, in a small village in rural Germany. It examines the fine balance between freedom and oppression. Bad things start to happen in the village, and no one knows who is to blame. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else, and the two traditional archetype leaders (Attila and The Witchdoctor), here represented by the local Baron and Minister, start extending their control over the villagers. Although some reviewers see this as background to the rise of Nazism, the scenario is playing out in modern times in the West as well. Note that the film is in black and white.
144 minutes, No persons under 13 (Sex, Violence) Detective/Mystery, Drama, On the art circuit
