When I Went to Visit the Boys

We drive through southern Burgenland on a field research trip with the filmmaker to explore how men think and speak. Katrin Schloesser lived here awhile, got married and made the painfully beautiful film Szenen meiner Ehe (Scenes of My Marriage). During those years she noticed a number of things about the local men and their self-images, which she condenses into a mental map of Bubenland (“Boys’ Country”).  

Schloesser meets men on site – both acquaintances and those with whom she has never exchanged a word before. She seeks conversation, but as different as these men are in terms of age and background, they all seem taciturn, at least at first glance. “It is what it is” or “It’s o.k., I guess” are the most common expressions in the repertoire of all of her interlocutors. This can be a way of stifling deeper reflections on failure and the pain of existence, but the visitor doesn’t let up. With a lot of humor, curiosity and, most importantly, a palpable basic sympathy, she manages to pull out of her “boys” things that probably have never been said, but without giving them the feeling of being caught off guard. In this respect, Katrin Schloesser is similar to Ruth Beckermann, who makes men speak in Mutzenbacher without presenting them as exhibits. What would be the point?  

The open gaze of a stranger makes it easier to gain access where others would just want to get away. Schloesser also sees the beauty of this special region, likes to film in the light of the evening sun, dedicates enchanting scenes to cattle, and suspects that farm animals like Nelly, Glocke, and Henriette often fill emotional voids. When the pain of loss has been too great, the next animal is simply not given a name. That's one way of doing it: pragmatically. A life principle with an expiration date. Who knows whether someday the entire adventure playground of Bubenland will have also outlived its usefulness. But that’ll be the day. (Regina Schlagnitweit)