Horror Vacui (German: Horror Vacui - Die Angst vor der Leere) is a 1984 German avant-garde film directed by Rosa von Praunheim.[1]
| Horror Vacui | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Elfi Mikesch |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Marran Gosov |
Production company | Rosa Von Praunheim Filmproduktion |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | West Germany |
The film was shown at international film festivals and in 1985 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[2]
Plot
editShot in a neo-expressionist style, the film is a satire on cults of any kind. The plot follows Frankie and Hannes, a young gay couple living in Berlin. One is studying art and the other medicine. Their happy life is disrupted when Frankie attends a lecture and quickly becomes involved in a sinister cult operating as a self-help group called "Optimal Optimism". 'Madame C', a former Nazi party member, is the leader of 'Optimal Optimism'. When the cult members find out that Frankie is gay, they rape him. Hannes has to find a way to save him.[3][1]
Awards
editReception
edit"If you have a soft spot for fantastic and ironic films, you won't feel any inner emptiness [horror vacui] with Praunheim's wealth of fantasy." (Cinema Film Journal)[5]
Notes
edit- ^ a b Murray, Images in the Dark, p. 109
- ^ "Recent Films From West Germany" (PDF). Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "Horror Vacui: The Fear of Emptiness (Horror Vacui: Die Angst ver der Leere)". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ "Rosa von Praunheim - Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ Cinema, no. 10, Oktober 1984 (Journal 77), p. 60
References
edit- Murray, Raymond. Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. TLA Publications, 1994, ISBN 978-1-880707-01-2
External links
edit- Horror vacui at IMDb