Seifenblasen: A weird, fleeting little thing

Should you watch this?

Honestly, only if you are a completionist for this specific era of filmmaking. If you want a story that actually goes somewhere, skip it. If you like watching actors fiddle with props while nothing much happens, you might find some charm here.

It feels like a discarded scene from something much larger. It’s got that specific, dusty energy you find in a lot of forgotten shorts. Seifenblasen doesn't really try to hook you. It just sort of exists.

The vibe

There is a lot of standing around. You get the sense that the director was just trying to fill a few minutes with something, anything. F. Reinicke is there, looking like he’d rather be literally anywhere else. I can't blame him.

The pacing is… well, it’s not really there. It just drifts. It reminded me a bit of the aimlessness found in The Big Burg, though with less energy. There's a moment where one of the actors fumbles a line—or maybe it was just a weird pause—that felt more real than anything else in the script.

• Hans Henninger looks genuinely confused in his close-ups.
• The lighting is surprisingly flat, even for a skit.
• I kept waiting for a punchline that never arrived.

The whole thing feels like a fever dream you have on a rainy Tuesday. It doesn't have the polish of Red Hot Tires, but it’s certainly… something. Maybe it’s not meant to be analyzed. Maybe it’s just a snapshot of people in a room.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly good short. But it’s short enough that you don't really lose much by giving it a peek. 🧼