Der Bunker

Der Bunker is a unique and thought-provoking German dark comedy film released in 2015. This intriguing film was directed by Nikias Chryssos and features an impressive array of talent, including Pit Bukowski, Daniel Fripan, and Oona von Maydell. Treading a fine line between science fiction, horror, and satire, the movie weaves a fantastical and symbolic tale of a peculiar and secluded family, portraying different attitudes about education, parenting, discipline, and love. Filmed with an experimental style and an absurdly comedic undertone, Der Bunker challenges societal norms and perceptions with its innovative storytelling.

Set in an unspecified location and time period, the film primarily takes place within an isolated, windowless bunker entrenched deep beneath the earth's surface. The bunker is home to a highly eccentric family (played by Daniel Fripan, Oona von Maydell, and David Scheller) that follows their own set of unique rituals and practises a unique form of existence very different from conventional living. Although the film's appropriately claustrophobic setting helps to build an atmosphere of intrigue and suspense, it's the remarkable performances and the director's distinctive narrative style that truly pushes the bounds of conventional storytelling.

The story unfolds when a nameless traveller (Pit Bukowski) arrives at this strange secluded bunker, seeking solace and a quiet place to focus on his studies. As a rent-paying guest, he reluctantly agrees to the bizarre conditions he is subjected to, and tries to adapt to the oppressive yet unnecessarily protective rules of the bunker.

However, he is perplexedly drawn into the peculiar life of the inhabitants of the bunker: A mother (Oona von Maydell) who relates fairy tales about the existence of a non-specific creature in the bunker, a father (David Scheller) who goes out to work each day despite no indication of where or what work he does, and their eight-year-old son Klaus (Daniel Fripan), who although is an adult man, his parents believe he is just a small child and is being prepared for an important job as president of the world.

Caught between the endearing insanity and the unnerving strangeness of the family, the Student (Pit Bukowski) finds himself pushed into a role he never bargained for - the home tutor for Klaus. The increasingly ridiculous syllabus, combined with the pressure of teaching a child in an adult's body, brings him into a weirdly intimate relationship with this unusual family.

Der Bunker, being a hard one to categorize, dismantles genre conventions, presenting a surreal blend of drama, horror, comedy, and psychological thriller. The storytelling, which smoothly switches between being hilarious and haunting, keeps viewers engrossed through a continuously spiralling series of events that become increasingly idiosyncratic as the film progresses. However, amidst the film's outlandish presentation, various satirical elements expose deeper themes regarding societal pressures, familial relationships, education systems, and the distorted perception of reality.

The film's performances also deserve commendation, with Pit Bukowski impressively portraying a visitor grappling with the unusual behaviour that becomes his new reality. Daniel Fripan, as Klaus, gracefully handles the complexity of portraying a character who is both a naive child and an adult, bringing a bewildering yet sympathetic persona to his role. David Scheller and Oona von Maydell, who play Klaus's parents, also deliver powerful performances, perfectly embodying the intense love for their son and their earnest yet misguided attempts at protecting him.

Director Nikias Chryssos also presents cinematography that matches the story's oddness, using a color palette of overly bright hues and sterile whites that are in stark contrast to the grim reality of the bunker. With a production design that pushes the boundary of the uncanny and an ingenious score, the movie effectively upholds an uncanny atmosphere right to the eccentric end.

This blend of the horrific and the hilarious makes Der Bunker a daring and unconventional cinematic outing, which will not fail to impress those who appreciate absurdist cinema. At its core, Der Bunker explores the absurdities of life's norms and conventions via its isolated and fantastical setting, where the cloying heat of parental overprotectiveness and the stifling atmosphere of claustrophobia are experienced through a dark, vibrant, facetious, and thoroughly memorable cinematic trip.