Familiengruft - ein Liebesgedicht an meine Mutter

Summary

Family Crypt

Maria Lang calls this montage of old family photos and new film footage "a love letter to my mother". Her autobiographical narration is a description of family relationships that are relatively typical of life in a post-war, lower middle class, small town in Germany – with a domineering father and a mother who patiently ministers to everyone. A later attempt to break through her silence misses the mark. A loaf of sweetened bread becomes a symbol of life-long muteness. "The tears flowed inward."

Source: 69. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)