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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have a thing for vintage European cinema and don't mind a movie that meanders, you’ll probably find something to love here. It’s got that specific, cozy, black-and-white atmosphere that makes you want to curl up with a blanket. But, let's be real, if you need a tight script with constant momentum, you're going to be bored to tears within twenty minutes.
Kermisgasten feels like stumbling into a party where you don't know anyone, but the music is decent and the snacks are good. It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to capture the feeling of the kermis—the noise, the laughter, the weird tension behind the scenes when the lights go out.
There’s a scene early on where they’re setting up the tents, and it’s just so... manual. You can almost smell the canvas and the damp earth. It’s got a grit to it that reminds me a bit of the rougher edges in Het leven is niet zo kwaad, even if the tone is totally different.
The characters are a bit of a mixed bag. Some of them pop right off the screen with just a look or a smirk. Others? They mostly just stand there looking like they’re waiting for the next line of dialogue to drop. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just a bit loose. Like the film itself couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be a comedy or a quiet drama about lonely people.
I found myself zoning out during the longer dialogue stretches, but then a random detail would pull me back. Like a weirdly specific prop on a table or the way someone’s coat looked a bit too heavy for the season. It’s those little accidents of production that make it feel real.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even trying to be one. But it’s got a pulse. Sometimes that’s all you really need from a movie you find in the dusty corner of a film catalog. 🍿
Year
1936
IMDb Rating
—
Editorial
Deciphering the legacy of transgressive cult cinema.
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