Der Bunker

Filmmaker Nikias Chryssos's debut feature film—a deadpan absurdist comedy with horror-fantasy shadings—concerns a penniless physics student (Pit Bukowski) who rents a basement room in a weird bourgeois couple's completely subterranean middle-class home in the woods. In exchange for his chilly concrete cell and dismal meals, the newcomer must home-school their tow-headed idiot “son,” Klaus (Daniel Fripan), an adult who thinks he is only 8-years-old, still breastfeeds, and has never been outside. The mother and father claim to be acting under orders from an unseen alien intelligence named Heinrich who insists that Klaus, against all appearances, is a prodigy destined to be President of the United States and therefore must be thoroughly educated. The oddball minimalist allegory may be elusive at times, but this definitely has true cult film potential. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Nikias Chryssos, deleted scenes (20 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an oddball gem.] (C. Cassady)