Die Unerzogens (2007)

Directed by: Pia Marais | 95 minutes | drama | Actors: Birol Ünel, Pascale Schiller, Céci Chuh, Georg Friedrich, Joana Preiss, Joseph Malerba, Johanna Gastdorf, Dieudonné Kabonga, David Könen, Madlene Niesyt, Laura Hentschel, Dominique Wegner, Janosch Litzinger

‘Die Unerzogenen’ is the feature film debut of Johannesburg-born director Pia Marais. The film, which was given the much lesser title ‘The Unpolished’ in English, is about a young girl who has a lot to do with her unhinged parents. This Stevie would prefer to lead a normal life with normal parents, but her father’s criminal ways force her into a nomadic existence. When the family finally settles in a provincial slice of Germany, Stevie hopes her dream of an orderly life can finally come true.

It seems that director and co-screenwriter Marais has sketched an environment that only exists in her own head with ‘Die Unerzogenen’. The fact that the parents of Stevie and their friends are portrayed as one-dimensional and differ from each other in almost nothing is not even the biggest problem here. The biggest problem is the motivation, or lack thereof, for the (hippie) existence they lead. Now hippies are no longer what they once were, but the creativity and social criticism that once formed the foundation of hippiedom is nowhere to be seen. These neo-hippies drink, have sex and sigh, complain and groan. Their interests appear to be of a material nature at most, which immediately explains their criminal activities. But then you would rather expect them in a luxury apartment than in such a remote commune.

Unfortunately, that lack of credibility is not limited to Stevie’s family environment. When the girl visits a peer from a middle-class background, she encounters a family who are watching porn together. That in itself might just be possible, but not in the casual way in which it is presented here. That incredulity is even more true for what happens to Stevie at her new school. In addition, the girl’s character is sketchy and unsympathetic.

Thus ‘Die Unerzogenen’ is a project that debutante Marais has thoroughly enjoyed. Its message may be clear (modern educators often behave less maturely than their offspring), but the problem lies entirely in the implausible effect. Fortunately, Marais shows with this debut that she is just right in terms of craft. In a style reminiscent of Dogme and the Walloon realists, she presents a restless and messy image that fits perfectly with the subject. It’s not nearly enough to save this film, but at least we don’t have to worry about the young director’s future.