Cinema
Heidenlöcher
Wolfram Paulus · 1986
Synopsis
Winter 1942-1943, in a mountain hamlet in the Salzburg region whose men are at the front and where Polish prisoners do the work. The farmer Santner, a deserter, has found refuge in the cavities known as the heathens' holes; his wife and the farmer Dürlinger supply him with food, and the village keeps silent. Ruap, Dürlinger's son, rages at not going off to war and can hardly bear that his father treats the Poles with consideration.
Context
The author's first feature, shot in black and white with non-professional performers, based on real events, and co-produced by Bavarian radio and two production companies. It was released in February 1986. The caves that give the film its title, at the entrance to the Grossarltal, do not appear on screen: according to his mother's recollections, the filmmaker liked the name. Robert Bresson was one of his models.
Who it is for
One hundred minutes without colour, carried by local inhabitants rather than actors. The film moves slowly and relies on what is left unsaid.
Prizes and reception
Austria's entry in competition at the 1986 Berlinale, and counted among the pioneering works of the new Austrian cinema.
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