Nazi satire 'Heil' pokes fun at Germany today
Can Germans laugh about Nazis? Sure, says Sarah Hofmann, as long as the jokes are intelligent. The new Nazi satire "Heil" doesn't find quite the right take on a touchy subject.
East German clichés
The film "Heil" is set in the fictional village of Prittwitz, which is located between three eastern German states: Brandenburg, Thüringen and Saxony. There, several varieties of neo-Nazi groups are active.
Competing gangs
The group behind Doreen (pictured in the red jacket) challenges the self-appointed leader of another neo-Nazi gang to prove himself by marching into Poland.
An unlikely spokesman
Neo-Nazi boss Sven (left, played by Beno Fürmann) celebrates a victory. He kidnapped Afro-German author Sebastian Klein (played by Jerry Hoffmann), who suffers from amnesia after behind hit on the head. Klein starts mimicking everything the neo-Nazis say.
Berlin clichés
Sebastian's pregnant girlfriend Nina (played by Liv Lisa Fries) tries to get him back. She fulfills the Berlin cliché of a trendy, well-situated young mom. She's more concerned, though, about Sebastian's ex-girlfriend winning him back rather than him being attacked by the neo-Nazis.
Stereotypes, not people
One of the issues with the film "Heil" is that it portrays clichés rather than individuals. The Prittwitz neo-Nazis are so inept that they don't even know how to spell "White Power" correctly. The film is not a comedy about neo-Nazis who understand the phenomenon of right-wing violence.