THE INHERITORS

Germany, 1985, 89 minutes, Colour.
Nikolas Vogel, Roger Schauer, Klaus Novak.
Directed by Walter Burmann.

The Inheritors is a German film of the early '80s, written, edited and directed by Walter Burmann.

The setting is Germany in the early '80s (and an atmosphere that was to continue into the '90s) of the rise of neo Nazis. The film focuses on a family, a young man, Thomas, who clashes especially with his mother (and whose brother later suicides). He clashes also with teachers and students at school. He is attracted by the right-wing movements, goes to Nazi clubs, looks at films of the past, listens to propaganda. He becomes involved with a young man named Charles who has a brutal father (who rapes his daughter) and is alienated from his family. They participate in rallies, Thomas taking photographs for the party. There is a political wing as well as a thuggish action group who go into bars to bash people and cause riots. Ultimately, Thomas and Charles, alienated from family and friends, enter a training camp for military manoeuvres as neo-Nazi soldiers.

The characterisation in the film is fairly basic (caricature parents, especially Thomas's mother, and the neo-Nazis). The writing is basic and unsubtle.

The film could be well received by the people it alleges to criticise. However, it is intended as a critique of the neo-Fascists of the '80s with their arrogance, German nationalism, anti-Jewish speeches, racist attitudes and antagonism towards employment possibilities being taken by foreigners.

There are set scenes in the family with the clashes, at school, in the clubs, rallies, the bombing of a statue of a Jewish heroine. There are pro-German speeches and anti-Jewish speeches.

There are several gratuitous sex scenes interpolated - perhaps for character but also for being provocative.

Of no great dramatic merit, but of interest as emerging from Germany in the mid-'80s.