Bübchen (1968)

Bübchen: Directed by Roland Klick. With Alexander Kekulé, Sieghardt Rupp, Edith Volkmann, Renate Roland. The life of a family living in a German suburb.

“This little-known drama by director Roland Klick introduces a prototype working-class family in a drab German suburb during the post-Wirtschaftswunder dip. The relationships between neighbor families, between local schoolboys, between middle-aged father and teen daughter, between man and neighboru0026#39;s wife – the relations that define social morals of a community – may seem exaggerated in some parts of the screenplay, but definitely a necessity in this particular story. The characters are well-written, especially the young protagonistu0026#39;s father, the neighboru0026#39;s daughter and her drunk father. Klicku0026#39;s direction is minimal, utilitarian with a conscious avoidance of cinematic flair both in terms of visuals and soundtrack. And that enables the filmu0026#39;s bleak, nihilistic, somewhat disturbing plotline flourish like a naturally-growing cactus in a desert. As the story unfolded, I was often reminded of Michael Hanekeu0026#39;s u0026#39;Bennyu0026#39;s Videou0026#39; and indeed there are some similarities in the thematic content like juvenile jealousy and how far parents go to protect their children. Although this film happens in a more u0026#39;genericu0026#39; setting, and lacks the social complexity of the Haneke title, a predictable yet very well-written ending definitely makes it memorable.”