ZUR LAGE

In the Austrian elections of October 1999, Jörg Haider's extreme right-wing FPÖ party received more than a quarter of the vote and became the second largest party in the country. Europe was stunned: the extreme right-wing movement was back! Zur Lage, though, proves that xenophobia has never been absent from Austria; it demonstrates the extent to which it is ingrained with the generations. The Austrians who are introduced in the documentary are anti-gay, anti-Semitic, anti-emancipation, anti-Islam and not interested in politics. How does the Austrian family view itself, a presenter asks them. 'Normal' or 'natural', are the answers. Still today, there is no room for 'other' people in Austria, the filmmakers reveal.

In six chapters - hitchhiking across the country, making house calls and a series of portraits - they expose what makes the 'ordinary' Austrian tick. The film has no interviewer's voice, nor a voice-over, but it does have one chapter with a presenter. The wry style of director Ulrich Seidl, who in addition to Chapters 2, 3 and 6 made the prologue and epilogue, left a distinct mark on the production. Filmmaker Barbara Albert was responsible for Chapter 5, documentary filmmaker Michael Glawogger was in charge of Chapter 1, scriptwriter Michael Sturminger made Chapter 4.