Plot

Heimatfilm is a compilation movie using scenes from 50 films of the genre of Heimatfilm. Between the end of World War II and 1960 over 300 Heimatfilme were made. The genre experienced its heyday in West Germany during this time. The scheme of the films is simple: the plot typically consists of a love story that eventually arrives at a happy end, following a few misunderstandings and the appearance of a villain. Heimatfilme divide people into the categories of good and bad. The crimes and conflicts shown are usually harmless cases of poaching or smuggling. The local authorities consist of forest rangers, doctors, pastors, and the like. Police and state authorities hardly ever appear. These are replaced by the intrinsic moral compass residing in regular townspeople, and the villain either repents or dies under unfortunate circumstances. At first glance, the Heimatfilm phenomenon seems quite easy to explain psychologically. After years of war, people deeply longed for an ideal world. The films present simple love stories set in unspoiled nature and a flourishing countryside offering an escape from reality and the conflicting memories of the recent past - far from the ruined cities. Recollections of the Third Reich are completely left aside. Yet the Heimatfilm is not an invention of the late 1940s or 50s, but rather closely related in terms of content and motifs to the mountain films of the 1920s as well as the "blood and soil" films of the Third Reich. That is why films from the 30s and 40s are also interwoven into the compilation movie. The plot of Heimatfilm follows the classic pattern of the love stories of this genre. The film focuses on the typical characters and themes. Side plots are avoided. The film's characters are portrayed by various performers. Similar scenes appear again and again with minimal changes and are maintained and carried on by the different protagonists. By repeating similar scenes and gestures as well as merging the Heimatfilme into their unvarnished plot, the genre's essence is revealed and condensed into a stereotype.