Western

Western (2017) is a German film written and directed by Valeska Grisebach. The title is symbolic, in the sense that, for Germans, Bulgaria is like our "Wild West."

A group of German workers come to Bulgaria for a construction project. It's in a remote rural area, so there's not much opportunity to mix with the Bulgarians. However, one worker, Meinhard (Meinhard Neumann) goes into town and begins to meet the local people, and even to try to learn Bulgarian.

Meinhard makes friends, and obtains the use of a horse. (The horse turns out to be a key plot element.)

The basic outline of the plot isn't unique, but the way it plays out is interesting and unpredictable.

We saw this movie at the wonderful Dryden Theatre in Rochester's George Eastman Museum. It will work well enough on the small screen. It's not a masterpiece, but it's definitely worth seeing.

P.S. The Dryden staffer who introduced the movie pointed out that the language barrier is immense. (German and Bulgarian come from Germanic and Slavic roots, respectively.) We, the audience, get English subtitles whether the speaker is German or Bulgarian. We know what's happening, but often the persons involved do not.

German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach successfully uses non-professional actors in this very methodically paced film, which will probably only appeal to a certain slice of cinephiles.

A group of German construction workers are dispatched to rural Bulgaria to construct a water power plant. The atmospherics here are extremely realistic, as the two cultures try and co-exist despite not being able to communicate effectively, except with the occasional translator.

At times, they'll be amicable relations but there can also be times that are tension filled and threatening. There's also tension within the construction workers themselves, especially between the new mysterious worker (Meinhard Neumann) and the aggressive foreman (Reinhardt Wetrek).

Overall, definitely not for those seeking any kind of an action flick. But for those viewers that have the patience to get into a quiet, cerebral and character driven film, there are rewards here to be found.

Despite director Valeska Grisebach's claims that her film, "Western," is inspired by the popular American film genre, the title refers more to cultural differences between western and eastern Europe than it does traditional cowboys and indians. Indeed, on the surface nothing resembling a traditional movie western is to be found in this film, aside from macho posturing and men trying to assert their authority over one another. But then again, I imagine that's Grisebach's point of inspiration, as that's largely what American westerns are all about.

In "Western," a group of German workers is assigned to a construction project in a remote area of Bulgaria, and the film mostly follows one of them, Meinhard, a sort of odd man out, as he sours on the companionship of his fellow workers and instead befriends a nearby Bulgarian village. Meinhard has a violent past, having formerly been a legionnaire (he refuses to answer when one of the men asks if he's ever killed someone), and the whole movie consists mostly of waiting to see if and when Meinhard will explode as tensions between the Germans and Bulgarians mount.

Grisebach has said that she wanted her movie to explore themes of toxic masculinity, a goal that some have applauded while others have derided. I think her point is that in a traditional western movie, the quiet and stoic hero (Meinhard) would only let himself be pushed so far before he asserted his power and authority over the other men, usually through controlled but violent means. But that idea of the alpha male is becoming more and more antiquated, and this film seems to suggest that perhaps the manliest thing one can do is choose to walk away from male bluster and instead join the camp of inclusivity and understanding.

"Western" is full of men being aggressive to greater and lesser degrees -- to women, to each other -- yet it's Meinhard, the one who decides at the film's end to dance at a village celebration rather than mete out the revenge he so clearly wants to take, who emerges as the character with the most strength.

Grade: A

This film is proof that cinema is art. If you are watching to think about movies. Made for you exactly. I would recommend.

A group of German workers is in a remote part of Bulgaria to build a dam. Their relationship with locals is sometimes easy, building friendships, sometimes difficult, giving way to conflicts that are aggravated by the language understanding. This is well told in this movie through realistic images and dialogues. One of the best movies of 2017.