"Gelegenheitsarbeit einer Sklavin" or "Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave" or "Occasional Work of a Female Slave" is a West German German-language film from 1973, so this one will have its 45th anniversary next year. The writer and director here is Alexander Kluge and he was probably among the most influential filmmakers during his peak here in Germany. Oh he is still alive by the way. And so is Alexandra Kluge, the lead actress in here and of course the filmmaker's sister. Both are in their 80s now. It is a black-and-white film and as always with Kluge, the focus here is on German society while the protagonist's personal story feels not as much in the center of it all. This is a common approach for Alexander Kluge's films and I personally struggle more than just a bit with it. The problem is not that his films look like documentaries most of the time, but that I somehow don't really see a justification that a character like that would get his own movie really because it is all so bland, so bleak, so everyday life and nothing stands out really. Roswitha Bronski is a bit of an exception here admittedly as her life is a bit of a whirlwind, as much as it gets for a Kluge film I guess. But I am still not sold here either. Something is simply missing in these 87 minutes and I find it pretty difficult to exactly say what it is to be honest. Perhaps it has to do with Alexandra's performance that isn't bad actually, but only looks somewhat decent at times because most of the supporting cast here are really weak and you see that they do not have a great experience at all. Maybe this also has to do with the fact that Alexandra ended her acting career after this film in her mid-30s already because it seems that she only started it in the first place as a favor to her brother, so she could star in his films.
Now about the film, Kluge's work generally does not have the appeal for the masses like maybe Fassbinder, Wenders, Herzog and the works of others do, but he just has his own niche and I am sure there are enough people who still enjoy these works. If you have seen other films by Kluge that you enjoyed, then I am sure this one here is also not the worst choice to check out as I find in terms of tone and style his movie generally look pretty similar. I myself think I belong to the masses though who find it difficult to find access to Kluge's works, let alone make a connection with them. That's why I give this one here a thumbs-down too. Not recommended.
Now about the film, Kluge's work generally does not have the appeal for the masses like maybe Fassbinder, Wenders, Herzog and the works of others do, but he just has his own niche and I am sure there are enough people who still enjoy these works. If you have seen other films by Kluge that you enjoyed, then I am sure this one here is also not the worst choice to check out as I find in terms of tone and style his movie generally look pretty similar. I myself think I belong to the masses though who find it difficult to find access to Kluge's works, let alone make a connection with them. That's why I give this one here a thumbs-down too. Not recommended.