Fascinating a must see

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2011)

I'm not generally one to watch German language black and white movies with subtitles. But this movie turned out anything but boring. What a fascinating and voyeuristic look into the German village in the early part of the 20th Century. At first it seems like a tale of village life then things get more sinister. There are deliberate "accidents", beatings, acts of revenge, abuse and cruelty. It is interspersed with unexpected romance and humor ( I thought the Doctor and the midwife were hilarious during their breakup).
Such an unusual matter of fact tale - horrible things happen but it isn't a horror movie. It's so great to see a horror without fright tactics. It's not chilling but more enlightening. Occasionally it's like a Continental high brow soap drama. It never stays one thing or another for long.
At first it is a bit hard to tell the many characters apart esp the children apart but it gets easier.
There are many things you can read into the meaning of the movie - was it the rise of Nazi sentiment in early 20th Century Germany or is it more a general explanation of cruelty? The cycle of cruelty is what is clear though - parents or children its for the viewer to decide who is worse.
It purposely doesn't have a conclusive ending leaving many questions unanswered. At first I wished everything had been tied up neatly. But after thinking about it I felt I didn't really need to know - the viewer doesn't have any more answers than one could get in real life sometimes. This is one of the most unique things about this movie.