Der Bunker


Der Bunker is a 2015 German horror-comedy film by Nikias Chryssos, in his feature film directorial debut. The film had its world premiere on 7 February 2015 at the Berlin International Film Festival and was released to DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD, alongside a limited theatrical release, in December of the same year.
Filming for Der Bunker took place in an abandoned house in Kleinmachnow. Chryssos has stated that despite the film's absurd nature, it is also a serious film, which he felt was personalized in the characters of Klaus and the Student.

Plot

The film centers upon a nameless student who has rented a room at a lake-side home with the expectation that he will find peace and quiet. However, when he arrives, he finds that the room was far from what he expected, as the home is actually a bunker. He chooses to stay despite this. Soon after, his bizarre landlords begin to insist that he tutor their son Klaus, who they believe will become President of the United States, despite being born in Germany. Stranger still is their insistence that an alien lives within the mother's leg, and that Klaus is only 8 years old, despite looking far older.

Cast

  • Pit Bukowski as Student
  • Daniel Fripan as Klaus
  • Oona von Maydell as Mother
  • David Scheller as Father

    Reception

Critical reception has been positive and Collider felt that the movie was "A unique piece of work, Der Bunker is twisted yet engaging, abstract and parabolic, funny yet flippant." The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, writing "Though the story’s anything but realistic, this doesn’t mean that it has nothing to say; Chryssos’s well-paced screenplay suggests something, for example, about the dangers of burdening a child with unrealistic expectations, such as the parents’ insistence on Klaus's preparation for his future in the White House." Exberliner also praised the film, calling it "Funny, horrifying, theatrical, abstract, allegorical, and mysterious."

Awards