Laubenkolonie (1930) is basically 1930s 'King of the Hill' with more beer

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, yes, but only if you like looking through a window into a world that doesn't exist anymore. If you're looking for a tight plot or big twists, you are going to be bored out of your mind within ten minutes.

It is perfect for people who like people-watching at the park. You'll probably hate it if you can't stand the crackly, loud audio of early sound films.

I found myself thinking about how little humans actually change. In 1930, these Berliners were obsessed with their tiny squares of land, just like people are today with their lawns. 🏡

The movie doesn't really have one main hero. Instead, it just kind of wanders from one garden plot to the next.

You have the well-to-do families trying to act all sophisticated while sitting on folding chairs. Then you have the shopkeepers who just want to drink a beer and yell at their kids.

Julius Falkenstein is in this, and he has this face that just looks permanently worried. I kept waiting for him to do something big, but he mostly just exists in the space, which is fine.

There is this one scene where a guy is trying to fix a fence, and it feels like it takes ten minutes. It’s not even that funny, but it’s so real that I couldn't stop watching.

The garden colonies themselves look like a maze of sheds and beanstalks. It feels crowded and cozy at the same time.

I noticed the sound is really hit or miss. Sometimes a character is talking and you can tell they are yelling at a microphone hidden in a bush. 🌿

It reminds me a bit of the awkwardness in The Victory of Virtue, where the actors aren't quite sure how to move now that people can hear them. But here, the chaos of the gardens helps hide that stiffness.

The women in the film, like Camilla Spira, bring a lot of energy. They seem to be the ones actually keeping the gardens from falling apart while the men argue about nothing.

There is a lot of drinking. Like, a lot. I think every third scene involves someone pouring a glass of something or carrying a tray of bottles.

It’s much more grounded than something like Morphium. It doesn't want to be artistic or dark; it just wants to show you a Saturday afternoon.

The Tiny Details

One thing I loved was the costumes. Not the fancy dresses, but the work clothes. You can see the sweat and the dirt on the aprons, and it makes the whole thing feel less like a movie set.

There is a dog that keeps appearing in the background of shots. I’m pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be there, but they just kept filming anyway. 🐕

The movie gets a bit frantic near the end. Everyone starts talking over each other and the subtitles (if you're using them) just give up for a second.

It’s not quite as funny as a short like Sherlock Sleuth, but it has a warmer heart. You actually start to like these annoying people by the time the credits roll.

I did find myself checking my phone once or twice during the middle section. There is a long sequence involving a musical performance that goes on for about three minutes too long.

You can tell the director, Max Obal, really liked the way the light hit the trees. There are these random shots of leaves that don't move the story forward but look nice.

It’s a very loud movie. Not in terms of volume, but in terms of energy. Everyone is constantly shouting for someone named 'Hans' or 'Emma.'

The ending isn't really an ending. It just kind of stops, like the sun went down and everyone had to go home to the city.

I think that’s why I liked it. It didn't feel the need to solve everyone's problems or have a big wedding.

• The way the older men wear their hats perfectly straight while digging in the dirt.
• The sound of the wind in the microphones that sounds like a jet engine.
• The incredibly small sandwiches they eat with such intensity.
• That one guy who looks exactly like my uncle if he lived in 1930s Germany.

If you're looking for a deep message, you won't find it here. It’s just about the smallness of life, which is actually kind of a big thing if you think about it too much.

It’s a decent watch if you’re folding laundry. It makes the chores feel a bit more historical. 🧺

Anyway, it’s a weird little time capsule. Not a masterpiece, but it’s human, and that’s more than I can say for a lot of stuff that came out back then.