17/02/2022 - BERLINALE 2022: Simon Brückner’s documentary follows the controversial German right-wing party AfD, showcasing the anti-democratic tendencies in a group declaring itself “for and by the people”

“Is it really the plan to have all of this recorded?” a voice asks, critically – as if afraid that anything they say could come back to haunt them. Politician Frank-Christian Hansel uneasily turns to the camera. “This will be shown in 2022,” he and his colleagues reply. By then, anything uttered during this party deliberation will have little significance.

It is a curious glimpse into the workings of a political party that director Simon Brückner offers viewers in A German Party [+see also:
trailer
interview: Hubertus Siegert
film profile], which had its world premiere as a Berlinale Special screening. The party in question is the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), the right-wing group established in 2013, which has flourished among voters in Germany’s eastern provinces, and which repeatedly stokes anger nationally and internationally by blurring the fine lines between populism and xenophobia, and also re-engaging in National Socialist activities.

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Following the party between 2019 and 2021, Brückner bears witness to conventions, grassroots activism, charitable work and election nights. There is the failed re-election of parliamentary leader Georg Pazderski. His moderate views cost him an election against his opponent, who was part of a controversial World War II memorial ceremony in Poland. There is Carsten Ubbelohde, who wants to save trees, but only because he wants to prevent wind turbines at this specific location and invest in nuclear energy instead. There is a fight between the moderate and more radical wings over the party’s standpoint on coronavirus politics and vaccination. And there is the youth movement, Junge Alternative, a member of which, Aaron, seeks out a “threat”: refugees in Bosnia, who are trying to make their way to Germany.

Brückner’s quiet observational style, the long gaze devoid of commentary and the ideological debates have a lot in common with the masters of the genre, like Frederick Wiseman. But unlike Wiseman, the subjects of Brückner’s documentary are rather controversial, promoting questionable policies. One could even argue that Brückner affords them too much space to freely express xenophobic or extremist ideas – a “banalisation of evil”.

The common theme within the final edit is to build up to a blunt self-revelation of extremist tendencies in the party, instead of the obvious anti-democratic tendencies of “the party of the people”. But unlike Jan Gebert, who managed to create an eerie turnaround in When the War Comes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] while portraying a Slovakian paramilitary group, Brückner tries too hard to find their ordinariness, and therefore does not shift in tone or style.

While he manages to gradually expose the radical, anti-democratic views, he doesn’t consider the already-established banality of modern-day polemic politics, nor the awareness and immunity that society already has. These politicians may fulminate against foreigners, refugees, coronavirus and “fake news”, but it is nothing new or shocking. The few flashes of totalitarian tendencies, their demands for those not loving Germany to leave and the wish to have “a strong leader” make an impact but are skimmed over too quickly in favour of observations of mundane administrative work.

Brückner also chooses the easy route by exclusively focusing on Berlin and Brandenburg as locations. As mentioned early on in the documentary, the eastern provinces, the former GDR territory, elected the party with 25% of the vote in 2017. While the political motives for that are worth an analysis, the movie falls too easily into the trap of old German “East versus West” narratives. This whole community feels shaken off by their western compatriots – less cultured and educated, they are out for payback.

A German Party was produced by Hubertus Siegert, and funded by ZDF/3sat and rbb. It is distributed in Germany by Majestic.

Photogallery 16/02/2022: Berlinale 2022 - A German Party

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Simon Brückner, Hubertus Siegert, Gesa Marten, Sebastian Winkels
© 2022 Fabrizio de Gennaro & Dario Caruso for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it, dario-caruso.fr, @studio.photo.dar, Dario Caruso