Question (spoilers)
Does anyone has an idea what the suicide bum has to do with the movie? This thing, and even more, the way the episode was shot (cameraman's shadow and hand visible) felt to me very much out of the whole movie.
shareIt is a random scene, and I recall Jörg Buttgereit explaining it in the director's commentary. I believe it was just improvised by one of the crew.
I'd have to go back and listen the commentary again for the reasoning behind it.
"I don't want to hurt you, I just want to kill you" - Experiment in homicide.
That was a crazy add by Buttgereit.
Actually I'm divided on it, I hated and loved it.
Hated cause it broke the fourth wall in a film in which it really was unnecessary to do that ; loved cause it gives an even more sinister look of pain and randomless to the story of Schramm.
I liked this film very much though, so I guess the random scene worked for me to increase even more the feeling of sickness the film wanted to create.
Yeah the scene is certainly an interesting one.
But you're right it does break the 4th wall in a way as it's suddenly like "we are now following the camerman", although you could argue it's simply an objective scene that was filmed sloppily and the 4th remains intact.
UNCOMPROMISING UNDERGROUND FILTH
It seems Buttgereit likes to challenge the viewer and likes to show his authorial touch here and there. I didn't watched Nekromantik yet but I know it is famous/unfamous for the footage of a skinned rabbit which was not necessary to the script.
The suicide scene in Schramm is unnecessary too... unless the suicide really happened while filming , and this is so scary I would not want to think about it.
I watched Schramm in original language with english subtitles and found another of those touches: while in the car after Monika has gone into the house the first time, Lothar turns on the radio and search for channels, the third channel (non subtitled in the movie) is a French channel and the speaker is talking about Buttgereit's "Nekormantik", saying it has obtained cult level in Allemagne (Germany).
Usually I don't like those interferences such as references to other movies or to the viewers into movies but sometimes they are part of the language of a director so they are part of the creation of movies. And I love them in Tarantino or Haneke, so I have to be fair and consider part of the game even when those are in an already draining experience like Schramm.
Schramm is a very short film but it's pretty rich of those touches and that I hate it or love it my first approach with Buttgereit could not have been more interesting.
I'm also yet to see either of the Nekromantik films. Interesting piece of trivia there regarding the radio station! I only speak English so that would have been completely lost on me.
I don't mind "in" references, as long as they aren't too blatant.
Will be interesting to see what direction Buttgereit goes in the future, hopefully doesn't mellow out too much!
UNCOMPROMISING UNDERGROUND FILTH