This is one of the most important films made in the sixties, and should be understood as an attempt to develop non-classical forms of film narrative in a politically-oriented way. The movie is based on a novel by Heinrich Boll which tells the story of a german family from 1900 to 1950, from the beginning of the XXth century to the rising of nazism and the postwar years. The plot from the novel is however condensed and disarticulated in the film, with many flashbacks, and therefore the viewer is encouraged to reconstruct the story and to fill the gaps. This creates a fascinating atmosphere and conveys the main message from Straub: that Germany, in the sixties, was still haunted by the specter of nazism, and in that sense German people were "not reconciled" yet.
If you are not used to art movies, this film will be a difficult one, but you should keep in mind that this movie is closer to a painting by Picasso than to a TV series. If you don´t like this kind of movies, don´t watch this one, and if you watch it by mistake, don´t send silly comments to IMDB:
