If you aren't familiar with Ulrich Seidl's work than this may not be the film you should start with. I am a big fan of course, so I may be biased.

What I love about his work is probably what many people don't like. You're never too sure if what he is showing is reality or something he created. Some of his films are real documentary and some of them are fiction. But which is which? They all feel similar and all have a similar tone. They are psychological and deep, they leave you wondering about different life situations (Bukowski fans take note).

"Wonder", this was the original intent of cinema, to leave an audience wondering. But a simple Buster Keaton film won't do the trick anymore and if CGI and explosions are your thing, Seidl won't be your thing either.

This brings us to the "actors" and this is where Seidl is making art. No big name actors, not even expensive actors, but the reality is there, it sucks you in piece by piece. Where does he find these people? That alone is an incredible talent, if they aren't actors in the traditional sense of the word. Each one is a deep character unto themselves. Are they actors or are they real people? You'll get dizzy thinking about it.

I recommend starting with "Import / Export" or "Models", then you'll know if Seidl is your thing. If you have a hard time with some of the off-beat realities of real life, or a hard life, you should look elsewhere. It's not horror, but is a bit of shock.

I'm grateful for Seidl because very little cinema moves me anymore in the way that he does. I hope he never stops.

This is art house cinema for the modern age folks.

8 out of 10 stars plus another because it's Seidl.

Saw this movie in an International movie festival, while it sounded very unexpected - it really was. Seeing many people leaving before the end kept me thinking about how long am I going to survive in this madness which is actually happening in Austrian basements. While some of it I could take with humor and actually smile about the old generations habits and being just a little naive for their age and location. Few characters left me wondering - why the hell its not illegal in Austria to be a completely brainless person ? From the other side - a complete mind opener about the society we live in where everything is allowed and no morals exist beyond and past your basement or private property.

Another fine effort from Ulrich Seidl, #1 troll director in Europe. This film shows us what Austrians do in their basements (no, Josef Fritzl doesn't appear). Not sure about the documentary element as surely there was lots of director's influence in many scenes...although the people were apparently real and not hired actors. Several memorable characters such as the S/M couple where the man is a full-time sex slave of her wife. Then there's a subdued middle-aged fascist who has a Nazi museum in his basement where he holds drinking sessions with similarly-minded band buddies. Then there's a middle-aged woman who works at Caritas, stabbed his abusive husband to death and likes to be caned.

The friends I watched this movie with were all grossed out because there was lots of hardcore S/M stuff, penises and vaginae in full view etc. I found it a very engaging and entertaining movie though...it consciously provoked the viewer to make judgments over those people and narrow-minded viewers (including the political correctness crowd) probably did just that. But there was a very strong humanist element behind all this.