In "The Hunger Years - In a Land of Plenty", the word "hunger" refers to many things. Loneliness, confusion, pains both physical and emotional, longing, the title refers to everything but the literal definition of hunger: the lack of food. The film takes place over three years in 1950's Germany, a time when the country was experiencing an enormous economic boom. For the Scheuner family in "The Hunger Years" however, this economic boom represents, even emphasizes the family member's struggles with themselves.
The central character, Ursula, the daughter, serves as a metaphor for the entire German State of mind at that time. Ursula's discovery of her body, her unease with it, and her denial and mistreatment of it, stands in for her own country's discovery, unease, denial and mistreatment of itself. This journal entry will discuss the many ways in which this complex film deals with the difficult issues of Germany's coming to terms with its own past, using Ursula's coming to terms with her own body as a center point.
Early on the film sets up its thesis. Near the start of the film, Ursula has her first menstrual period, which serves an important purpose in getting us to understand her relationship to her mother. After Ursula first has her period, she doesn't understand what it is. Concerned, she tells her mother and her grandmother what happened. They calmly but briefly explain menstruation to Ursula, but since they had never prepared her for it. Their explanations and instructions have little meaning to Ursula, since this has all happened so suddenly. The mother's calmness is mistaken by Ursula to be a sense of uncaring because Ursula needed a more immediate reaction. Since she had no idea what was happening to her body, she could not know that it was a perfectly natural thing. Later she ignores her mother's instructions that she not play with boy's during her period, and even removes her sanitary napkin when it becomes uncomfortable. This whole situation obviously has parables to how Germany denied the post-war generation key information about itself and its roots. Unknowingly, the parents taught their children hate and disown who they were. The children refused to accept who they were, just like Ursula refuses to accept her body's natural processes.
Another key scene that illustrates how the mother thinks, and in turn how Germany thinks about itself occurs in the middle of the film. After having obligatory sex with her husband, Ursula's mother goes to the bathroom to wash herself out. As she does this we hear he thoughts in voice over. "It's not right that we are made the way we are," she says, indicating her own denial of herself that has already begun to infect her daughter. She then continues: "Women should have the right to tear out their ovaries." This second statement reveals the deep seeded hatred of the self that also affected Germany. Instead of refusing to have sex with her husband, an act she detests, instead of taking a stand, she turns the blame inward. Her ideal solution, to tear out her ovaries, would cause only her pain and destruction. This can be compared to how Germany itself refused to take a stand during the Nazi era, decided to accept and submit, and ended up causing itself great pain and suffering.
Of course, the most important theme of the film is how the economic miracle affected Germany in several negative ways. Bruckner is able to illustrate to us metaphorically in different ways what Germany was going through. One striking scene portrays this perfectly. Ursula sits in the family's living room watch her parents read. We can hear all three persons' voice-overs. The mother is thinking of new material items she wants to purchase. The father is planning a vacation. Ursula thinks about how all of her friends' parents are cooler than her parents. "Gertrude's mother is a journalist, they always have such interesting visitors," we hear Ursula think, "Erika's mother is a business woman and separated. It's chic to be separated." We hear all the simultaneous thoughts on the soundtrack combined with a high pitched squealing noise. Ursula even covers her ears as if she can hear what we hear. The irony of this scene is that although Ursula is clearly shown to be rebelling against her parents' materialism, she is no better, for she is also concerned with being chic. Ursula is subconsciously being assimilated into her parent's world.
The most important metaphorical tool in illustrating the downside of the economic miracle however, is Ursula's eating disorder. In order to compensate for her isolation and loneliness, Ursula begins to eat. She becomes bulimic. This of course clearly represents how Germany was overstuffing itself during the economic miracle. The country was masking its problems with its past by indulging itself in its newfound wealth.
Ultimately, "The Hunger Years" is much too complex film to do justice to in this brief essay. The way in which Bruckner uses the body as a metaphor for her country is ingenious, but it is one of only many aspects to this multifaceted film. What we take away from this film is a sense of what Germany went through in the years following World War II. However, we also get a film that is a record of Germany at a time when the events being depicted in the film were finally being recognized by the public as not necessarily a positive moment tin the country's history.
The central character, Ursula, the daughter, serves as a metaphor for the entire German State of mind at that time. Ursula's discovery of her body, her unease with it, and her denial and mistreatment of it, stands in for her own country's discovery, unease, denial and mistreatment of itself. This journal entry will discuss the many ways in which this complex film deals with the difficult issues of Germany's coming to terms with its own past, using Ursula's coming to terms with her own body as a center point.
Early on the film sets up its thesis. Near the start of the film, Ursula has her first menstrual period, which serves an important purpose in getting us to understand her relationship to her mother. After Ursula first has her period, she doesn't understand what it is. Concerned, she tells her mother and her grandmother what happened. They calmly but briefly explain menstruation to Ursula, but since they had never prepared her for it. Their explanations and instructions have little meaning to Ursula, since this has all happened so suddenly. The mother's calmness is mistaken by Ursula to be a sense of uncaring because Ursula needed a more immediate reaction. Since she had no idea what was happening to her body, she could not know that it was a perfectly natural thing. Later she ignores her mother's instructions that she not play with boy's during her period, and even removes her sanitary napkin when it becomes uncomfortable. This whole situation obviously has parables to how Germany denied the post-war generation key information about itself and its roots. Unknowingly, the parents taught their children hate and disown who they were. The children refused to accept who they were, just like Ursula refuses to accept her body's natural processes.
Another key scene that illustrates how the mother thinks, and in turn how Germany thinks about itself occurs in the middle of the film. After having obligatory sex with her husband, Ursula's mother goes to the bathroom to wash herself out. As she does this we hear he thoughts in voice over. "It's not right that we are made the way we are," she says, indicating her own denial of herself that has already begun to infect her daughter. She then continues: "Women should have the right to tear out their ovaries." This second statement reveals the deep seeded hatred of the self that also affected Germany. Instead of refusing to have sex with her husband, an act she detests, instead of taking a stand, she turns the blame inward. Her ideal solution, to tear out her ovaries, would cause only her pain and destruction. This can be compared to how Germany itself refused to take a stand during the Nazi era, decided to accept and submit, and ended up causing itself great pain and suffering.
Of course, the most important theme of the film is how the economic miracle affected Germany in several negative ways. Bruckner is able to illustrate to us metaphorically in different ways what Germany was going through. One striking scene portrays this perfectly. Ursula sits in the family's living room watch her parents read. We can hear all three persons' voice-overs. The mother is thinking of new material items she wants to purchase. The father is planning a vacation. Ursula thinks about how all of her friends' parents are cooler than her parents. "Gertrude's mother is a journalist, they always have such interesting visitors," we hear Ursula think, "Erika's mother is a business woman and separated. It's chic to be separated." We hear all the simultaneous thoughts on the soundtrack combined with a high pitched squealing noise. Ursula even covers her ears as if she can hear what we hear. The irony of this scene is that although Ursula is clearly shown to be rebelling against her parents' materialism, she is no better, for she is also concerned with being chic. Ursula is subconsciously being assimilated into her parent's world.
The most important metaphorical tool in illustrating the downside of the economic miracle however, is Ursula's eating disorder. In order to compensate for her isolation and loneliness, Ursula begins to eat. She becomes bulimic. This of course clearly represents how Germany was overstuffing itself during the economic miracle. The country was masking its problems with its past by indulging itself in its newfound wealth.
Ultimately, "The Hunger Years" is much too complex film to do justice to in this brief essay. The way in which Bruckner uses the body as a metaphor for her country is ingenious, but it is one of only many aspects to this multifaceted film. What we take away from this film is a sense of what Germany went through in the years following World War II. However, we also get a film that is a record of Germany at a time when the events being depicted in the film were finally being recognized by the public as not necessarily a positive moment tin the country's history.
