On the surface, Daniel Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub's Class Relations, an adaption of Kafka's unfinished novel Amerika, is one of the filmmakers' most accessible work, a rather straightforward narrative about Karl Rossmann, a German youth, who has been forced to leave his homeland after a scandal. Invited to America by his uncle, Karl attempts to start over in America, with much of the film's narrative chronicling the young man as he takes a succession of jobs, soon discovering that success in America isn't simply as easy as he expected it to be. Class Relations has a minimalist style of photography that relies heavily on long takes and a motionless lens, which combined with the fact that much of the performances in the film are stoic and expressionless, one certainly can imagine that this is a film that will frustrate many viewers, being a challenging experience, though that could be precisely the whole point. Using stark black and white photography that grows more nightmare-inducing in its expressionism as the film progresses, Huillet & Straub's Class Relations have crafted a capitalist nightmare that focuses on the pitfalls and shortcomings of this system, which finds young Karl Rossman caught in a never ending struggle to climb the class ladder in America. Make no mistake, Class Relations is didactic in its approach to explore the pitfalls of capitalism, and like any such film i'd certainly argue it never attempts to offer up a more practical alternative, but through this tale of unending obstacles for young Karl Class Relations offers up some powerful truths about capitalism, but also about power and authority, even suggesting that capitalism is merely a tool that lets humans reinforce their more devious penchant for authority or power. Class Relations reveals how authority is essentially a sadistic force, with the film's most incendiary commentary on the capitalist model is the false sense of hope a system based on paid merit creates. Throughout the narrative of Class Relations, the film focuses on quite a few characters, including Karl, who are being taken advantage of by their superiors, repeatedly told that if they work hard and know their place they will rise. Karl's interaction with his boss at the hotel, where he is effectively shamed for what is deemed as insubordination mirrors the opening of the film, where a older Stoker laments to the young, naive Karl about his struggles working under his supervisor and his dream of being free. Class Relations argues that Capitalism is built on this "learn your place, know your rule mentality" and yet the system is inhumane anyway, relying on individuals to not take advantage of the sadistic nature of authority. You either participate in this system, roll with the punches, or you attempt to live outside the system, much like two vagabonds which Karl meets one night, but either way one feels the oppressive nature of the capitalist model. One of the most compelling aspects of Class Relations, simply because I can relate to it, is how the film reveals the ludicrous nature of a system based off of paying ones dues, revealing how capitalism is built around an idea that everyone knows what they want to do with their lives from a very young age, an ideal that essentially goes completely against the very foundation of humanities constantly evolving psyche. To expect someone to know what they want to do with their lives from a very young age is a ludicrous endeavor, one which Class Relations reveals through the narrative of Karl. While the lighting seems to grow closer and closer towards german expressionism levels of dread as the film progresses, Class Relations also uses wonderful use of composition to tell its capitalist nightmare, often offering up a heavy dosage of the shot/reverse shot to document character interactions, a cold, mechanical choice of photography that perfectly evokes the disconnect between Karl Rossman and the capitalist world around him. Revealing how class and authority can strip away certain intrinsic human qualities such as empathy, Daniel Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub's Class Relations is a mesmerizing capitalist nightmare revealing some of the pitfalls of a system that goes against the very fabric of what makes us human.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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