Very solid work by Petra Volpe reminded me of Ulrich Seidl and Barbara Albert's reflections on anomie in Austria. After the showing which I attended Q & A with Volpe and Judith Kaufmann focused on Swiss prostitution and the plight of women, but I saw Traumland as much more about alienation, as is borne out by the lack of functional intimate relationships between anyone at all within the film.
A strong piece, which while frequently gritty and unsettling also contains a pleasant range of emotions, including frequent humor. The closing scene was perhaps a bit lazy to my mind. I look forward to more films from Volpe.
