Muttertag

If you don't know the place where this film is set, if you don't know the people you might not understand or like it. Almost every line of this movie is legendary, brilliant performances by Düringer and Dorfer each one playing multiple characters.

I can think of only one other Austrian movie (or German, for that matter) that dives so deep into social deserts and black parts of the common human, and that is "Hundstage", which could easily be described as "social porn" and is equivalent to Todd Solondz' work, yet darker and more dire. In Muttertag, it's more satire, but with many more levels, and none of them pleasant. You live with a group of people from a lower social level, the Neugebauers in the center of this strange and wicked community, living in a notorious apartment estate in Vienna. Their part of town is satirically portrayed like one of the antechambers of hell - for Austrian standards - a socialistic community of concrete and locked doors, where everybody tries to seclude himself and his dark secrets from everyone else. No Walzer, no Mozart, no Viennese courtesy, no post-monarchistic postcard nostalgia and no hope. Everyday life seems to throw everything at the Neugebauers to bring them down, and everything unfolds right before Mother's Day, which provides a certain forced traditional background for this tour-de-force, like Christmas being a battlefield for family conflicts. And just like at Christmas the private tension induces riot-like scenes in the community, in the supermarket, at church, at the gas station and in school. Satirical portrait with some of the finest Austrian comedians and actors, that will offer a haunting, outlandish and desperate experience for non-Austrians and a mirror of the soul for the locals. Remember, people of Vienna, "another social layer" does not mean that these people aren't living nearby, and their issues apply to you as well, regardless of your social and educational background.

Most Austrian contemporary movies are bad. Austria is famous for classical music and gave the world important modern painters, even Actionism artists, but most of its movies made after the Second World War are forgettable, especially comedies. (The serious movies are all depressing.)

Muttertag is an extremely low-level type of "humor", similar to cheap Italian comedies, only much worse. Every single character and situation is the cheapest possible overdrawn caricature. If your taste is intelligent, witty comedy, you'll hate Muttertag, unless you are 13 years old. It's the type of comedy Austrians are used to, so it's no surprise they adore this movie. Hence, the high ratings.

PS: I live in Austria.

well, what can you say about this film? it's best to see it 'cause you can't describe it! but i'll try: the film takes place in vienna on mother's day. the family doesn't want to celebrate this day but thinks they have to and the mother doesn't want them to do but nobody tells the others. so there's a lot of trouble that ends in a little chaos - not as bad as "hinterholz 8".

the actors are the best from the austrian comedy has and in this film the product is the best ever done in austria. really funny (even when you don't like the viennese dialect!). it seems to be a copy of life there - so don't trust these guys ;-)

Truly an Austrian Comedy with lots of social statements inside. Black Humor paired with excellent acting by Dorfer, Düringer and the others. You also should see "Indien" with Dorfer und Hader, even better than "Muttertag" if you like this sort of humor / social view. Austrian movies, comedies, mostly are also a deep view inside of the society we life in. Dependable on the plot, the "simple" people or the "High Society", but always with much truth in the exaggerated charackters, which are sometimes can be found exactly that way on the streets. Psycological inside is always part of these movies, nonetheless Austria was home of Freud, Adler, Watzlawick... so enjoy the loughs and take the "hints for a better life" :)