In preparation for its North American premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, Artsploitation has released a new trailer and poster for Nikias Chryssos’ Der Bunker, a bizarre German comedy about a family living in a bunker who rent out a room to a student looking for a quiet place to work on his studies.
I’ve been keeping my eye on this one for a while now, and am excited that a company like Artsploitation picked it up and will be releasing it here in the States. If you’re heading to Austin for Fantastic Fest, you can check out Der Bunker on September 25th and Monday September 28th.
With his surrealistic and dark, yet strangely heart-warming approach towards an unusual family’s world, DER BUNKER’s director Nikias Chryssos may well be the nephew of John Waters and the illegitimate son of David Lynch and Luis Buñuel. A student rents a windowless room in a bunker home nestled deep within a forest. Here, instead of finding tranquility for his studies, the young man becomes increasingly involved in the dramas of his landlord’s family. They include the stern father, his wife (whose swollen leg almost takes a life of its own) and their precocious 8-year-old son Klaus who, despite being German and “learning-challenged,” is being home groomed to become the President of the United States. Initially friendly and welcoming, the situation becomes increasingly bizarre. A funny, visually arresting and a bit unsettling modern fairy tale.
