Der Bunker [Review]

too out there for some.

The film is centered deep within a snow-covered forest from which a young man emerges with no name, he is simply referred to as The Student (Pit Bukowski). The young man has rented a room so he can continue his work in solitude with an apparent lake-side view. However, upon initial inspection he soon realizes that the home isn’t exactly as advertised but none-the-less, the young man agrees to stay.

He soon meets a family that lives there; Father (David Scheller), Mother (Oona von Maydell), and their eight-year-old son Klaus (Daniel Fripan). Klaus actually looks far older than what they perceive to be. Anyway, the family is very eccentric to say the least but they seem harmless enough.

The Student’s room is one with no windows, and it’s very minimalist, but it serves a purpose that he needs; solitude. So he rents the room, although he is a little short on cash so the Father suggests that he helps around the house to help pay for the accommodation, which he agrees to. Soon though, the Student is roped into homeschooling Klaus, while working on his own work. It is soon apparent that Klaus has some difficulties in regards to learning, and if he doesn’t do well he gets punished and a vicious cycle soon begins.

Matters become worse or at least more bizarre when we learn that the parents have great aspirations for him, such as becoming the President of the United States of America, despite being in Germany. But, the Student does what he can and soon Klaus begins to learn several capital cities, and as such the parents are glowing with joy that their baby is learning and could soon be the President.

But things soon start to get a little more bizarre when the Mother believes that an alien overlord lives inside of her leg and it’s called Heinrich. The overlord also has an opinion of its own from which it shares with the Mother. It also tells her to feed Klaus, and so she does, through breastfeeding, even though Klaus looks as if he is in his late twenty’s early thirties.

Although this could be that she doesn’t want her baby to grow-up and leave them all alone.

In any event, the film is filled with all kinds of bizarre scenes which only helps cement the lasting appeal of the film as you’re stuck to the screen to see just what will happen next. It’s beautifully shot and edited and the score is just a perfect fit. It’s a delightful arthouse film that’s quirky and highly appealing which is destined to be a cult classic. I loved it. Everything served a purpose, even if it seems a little wacky at times.

It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you’re after something that is highly different, give Der Bunker a shot. There is nothing else quite like it out there! You’ll be laughing, cringing and at times scratching your head. For me. this is one of the best films I’ve seen this year! So don’t miss out, Artsploitation Films are set to unleash the film onto DVD, Blu-ray and Vimeo this August 23, 2016.