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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Blutsbrüder remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Should you watch Blutsbrüder tonight? Probably not, unless you are a massive nerd for 1930s German cinema trying to pretend it is the Balkans. ⛰️
People who love old-school melodrama about "honor" and intense staring contests will find some fun here. But if you hate slow-moving black and white stuff where everyone takes themselves way too seriously, run away fast.
The whole movie is set in Herzegovina, but it feels like a postcard sent by someone who only spent ten minutes there. It has that weird German perspective where everything is super romanticized and slightly off.
Attila Hörbiger plays the lead with this incredibly intense face. He looks like he’s constantly trying to remember if he left the stove on back in Munich.
There is a lot of talk about blood brotherhood and ancient laws. It gets a bit exhausting after the third time someone explains why they can't just talk their problems out like normal humans.
There is this one scene where two guys are staring at each other across a rocky canyon. It goes on for so long I actually thought my internet connection died. 😅
The landscapes of Stolac are actually pretty cool though. The rocky hills have this dusty, empty feeling that makes the characters look very small and unimportant.
Compared to something like The Street, which has that gritty city energy, this feels like a very slow walk up a very steep hill.
Brigitte Horney shows up and she is easily the best part of the whole thing. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think she knows how silly the script is.
The writing by Franz Tanzler and J.A. Hübler-Kahla is... well, it's very theatrical. People don't talk in this movie, they declare things to the heavens.
If you've seen other early dramas like The Hun Within, you already know how thick they lay on the cultural stuff. Here, it is just German actors wearing local hats and trying to look tough.
It is not a terrible movie, just very much a product of its time. It’s got a weird charm if you don’t mind the heavy sighing and the constant drama about family pride.