Section: Homeland | Domownja | Domizna

EIN ALTES MODELL

Ulrich Thein

GDR, 1976, 70 Min

Bruno Nakonz makes his way from his Lusatian village to the city to have his coffee grinder repaired. His chosen route leads him past the scared heathlands, the pit and a newly constructed power station. A jewel of (East) German acting, led by Erwin Geschonneck and Agnes Kraus, and a parable on sustainability, before the term itself had ever been heard.

Grumpy old Bruno, played captivatingly by Geschonneck, is unable to find his place in the new order. Old things are thrown away or destroyed, forests cut down and shops closed. He is unable to share the enthusiasm of the youth for the high chimneys of the power station, since the pits have caused his well to dry up. There appears to be no place in the new society for an "old model" like him and his coffee grinder. This television film from 1976 is remarkable in several ways: the script is characterised by its precise knowledge of social spaces and characters, right down to the language and small details. At times the camera observes everyday life in an industrial region and the GDR in a documentary manner, yet also creates impressive allegories, for example when an old man wanders lost between the towering cooling towers of the power plant. Above all, however, the work strikes the viewer today, 44 years on, as both visionary and of oppressive topicality. GL

Ulrich Thein -

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