I promise

It has been more than 25 years since Wolfgang Murnberger delivered a radical and groundbreaking commitment to Austrian film with his autobiographically tinged youth drama. Far removed from embarrassing helmet-toting clamor and turgid camaraderie pathos, he depicts the experiences of the young recruit Berger, who does his military service on the Austrian-Hungarian border and must somehow maneuver his way through army operational futility and absurdity. In the process, a barracks toilet becomes an artistic-philosophical training ground for his yearning for freedom, which he exercises here in thoughts and works. (Silvia Breuss)