Fräulein Schmetterling

Following her father’s death, 17-year-old Helene Raupe is left alone with her little sister Asta. She sets out in search of her ‘happiness’ – first as a fishmonger, then in a fashion boutique and as a bus conductor – but she struggles to live up to the expectations placed upon her. Instead, she dreams of a different, more vibrant life … Stylistically clearly influenced by the films of the Czechoslovak New Wave, this tale of the longing for a self-determined life also ventures into new aesthetic territory, combining documentary footage with poetic observation. In the wake of the cultural-political interventions of the 11th Plenum in 1965, the film remained unfinished – it was not until 40 years later that it emerged from its cocoon and revealed its irrepressibly creative beauty.
(Florian Widegger)