Shows: 3/02 5:00 PM (Cam 12), 3/06 2:45 PM (Cam 12)

Describing this strange blend of drama, horror, and surrealism is like trying to describe a dream; strange images, slightly twisted versions of reality, and unanswered questions make each person’s experience of the film somewhat different. There are plenty of allusions to other films, particularly horror films, and long stretches of time when nobody says anything other than average small talk.
The film follows a group of men and their wives over the course of a week. They are descended from Czech nobility, and have returned to their grandfather’s estate (which they have only heard about in family stories) to inspect the grounds and do a little hunting. Although it starts out fairly plainly, “Fatherland” soon begins to slide into the surreal and the disturbing. Why are there no women in the village near the estate? Why are the guides the men hire to lead their hunting expedition so strange? What exactly are they hunting, anyway? And what is the terrible secret one of the men is soon hiding?
This story seems to be about the collapse of the old ways and movement into an uncertain future, but it’s difficult to be sure when so many questions are left unanswered. The cinematography and plotting are inspired, but the peculiarity of the film may make it unpalatable for all but the most dedicated of international art film fans.