Buttgereit has proved himself to be first and foremost a filmmaker concerned with Germany's political and social past and present. That past of course includes the unfathomable horror of concentration camps and the deliberate execution of over nine million people who did not conform to the values and aspirations of the Third Reich. How does one represent this particularly dark moment in not only Germany's past, but in human history? What other horrors are humans capable of? Contemporary Germany remains unresolved to this part of its history and filmmakers like Buttgereit have set themselves the task of thrusting it in their faces. Watched literally, his Nekromantik films are buffoonish meaningless projects concerned with exploiting taboo topics and turning even the hardiest of stomachs. Indeed, regardless of how one approaches Buttgereit's film, it is hard to watch, but that is his point. What other describe as the film's "poor" production values and "bad" performances are all conceived to contribute to the overall pessimism and rage that underscores the film. Buttgereit deliberately embraces a trash aesthetic as it fits in with his intentions to disturb, repulse and offend.
Review of Nekromantik
