A midlife crisis so absurd you'll question if YOUR job is worth it.
A darkly comedic exploration of personal struggle and societal pressure, we follow the story of a middle-aged man named Max, who is trapped in a life of monotony and frustration. After a series of unexpected events, Max finds himself in increasingly absurd and challenging situations, forcing him to confront his own limitations and fears. With sharp humor and a critique of societal expectations, the film delves into the pressures that shape our lives and the lengths we go to in order to break free from them. A poignant yet quirky tale about bending to life's demands or breaking under the weight of it all.
Direction
Bitomsky's clinical gaze turns banality into horror.
Acting
Baer's deadpan descent into madness is uncomfortably relatable.
Director
Hartmut Bitomsky
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bitomsky was part of the New German Cinema movement, and this sits uneasily between Fassbinder's melodrama and Herzog's madness.
The film was barely released outside Germany; its rediscovery came when a mislabeled print played at a Herzog retrospective in 2019.
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