An odd and intriguing early work if you've seen this maverick German director's later films. On one level it has shares with the French new wave tradition the spontaneity that comes from shooting cheaply on location and dubbing on dialogue later with little respect for lip-synch; on another level it presents carefully constructed imagery, often of a religious nature, in saturated Super-8 (the hero's progress is presumably intended to be something of a pilgrimage), which looks forward to the works of Jarman. Praunheim's trademark preoccupation with the bizarre diversity of human life is there in his usual array of misfits, queens and transsexuals; but there is also his political edge, presenting the poverty of Calcutta and Glasgow as a crush on the human spirit, trapping its victims into ignorance. A definite oddity.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews