VividSimon
Simply Perfect
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Die Siebtelbauern" is an Austrian German-language movie from 1998, so it will have its 20th anniversary the year after next year. The writer and director is Stefan Ruzowitzky and this film was selected to be Austria's official submission to the Oscars that year. And even if it did not get the nomination, it is still interesting from the perspective that Ruzowitzky won an Oscar for another submission ("Die Fälscher") several years later. But back to this one here. It features Austrian (because that's Ruzoqitzky's origin) and German actors playing the main characters and quite a few of these are still very well-known today to German film buffs. The story is about a terrible crime that happens, but actually what happens afterward is really the real tragedy, namely the huge challenge for the members of a small community in dealing with the aftermath, especially from an economic perspective. But there are also all kinds of other genres in here such as occasionally dark comedy (coming from the narration mostly) and romance as well. For the actors playing the main characters, it was a bit of a breakthrough work that allowed them to have a career to this date, almost two decades later. But I personally must say that even if the acting was fairly solid for the most part, I never really managed to develop an interest in the story and the characters for the most part. Maybe you need to be Austrian to appreciate it or just like Ruzowizky's style more than I do. I was underwhelmed almost during the entirety of the film and there were not that many moments I would consider good or even memorable at all. This is why I give "The Inheritors" a thumbs-down and I suggest you to watch something else instead.
Happy_Evil_Dude
When a farmer is murdered he unexpectedly wills his farm and all his belongings to his 10 peasants, 7 of which decide, even more unexpectedly, to keep the farm and try to run it themselves despite the scorn and outrage of the "legitimate" farmers. Thus, they become the "one-seventh farmers" in this second feature length movie by prominent Austrian writer/director Stefan Ruzowitzky. A beautifully made movie about class struggles, injustice and vain arrogance (among other things), Die Siebtelbauern is also not a film that unravels the way you'd like it too (thus, it isn't really for everyone). This is quite a bleak film, but it is also extremely engaging as you truly feel for the characters, who were all wonderfully acted. Also serving the film perfectly is its beautiful music, consisting mainly of haunting piano pieces which set the tone very well. Most amusing of all is a well-made nod by Ruzowitzky to First Blood (aka the first Rambo movie) towards the end of the film, which you're likely to appreciate if you've seen said film. All in all, while it isn't essential viewing, this is a splendidly crafted little film, very engaging, beautiful, realistic and dark, and at least on par with Ruzowitzky latest, the Oscar-winning WW2 prison film Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters).
jmarlinbarker
The Inheritors (Die Siebtelbauern), as I remember it, was amusing and also thought-provoking about general socio-economic changes of the past two centuries or so that today many people in Western countries probably take for granted. Perhaps in vague way, it reminds me of an allegory such as Orwell's Animal Farm in the sense of seeing political theory in an intimate, emotional story rather than in some abstract manifesto.While the film might not be the most "profound" work of art ever made, it nevertheless deserves a viewing. I say it is quite entertaining and in short, thumbs up.
maxbolam
As I watched "Die Siebentelbauern", I was reminded of the film, "Gosfard Park", with its theme of class struggles among the "helpers" or servants and the upper class at that time. In both films, the moral of not judging another person by their position within society, such as if they are a cook or maid, but viewing them for their true personality, is something which can and should be applied to today's world. In terms of a "real world" application, one could view the abuse of a employee by their bose similiar to the kind of abuse, which occured between some servants and masters. Class struggles exist today, just in a different light-the work world.
