I Accidentally Watched The German Matrix And Here’s Why You Should Too
Many (most) of you won’t know who I am and even more of you have already scrolled to the bottom to peruse the comments, but if you’ve made it this far here’s a brief summary: I run social/produce for The Dozen and Lights, Camera, Barstool. While The Dozen is humming right now (see: Thursday’s incredible performance by Frank & The Frankettes), Lights Camera Barstool has ceased to exist as a podcast and with it, my main outlet to spew my movie and tv opinions onto anyone willing to listen. And yes, The Long Take has continued, but that’s more just Kenjac and I shooting the shit over whatever is happing over in the business and less us actually giving thoughts on whatever we’ve been watching throughout the week. Backed into a corner, I have picked up the figurative pen to get these thoughts out.
A quick rundown on what these blogs will be like:
- Sparknotes on the movie: Title, director, where to stream, etc.
- A paragraph or so on what I thought of the movie/show
- Whether or not I would recommend it to YOU, the Common Man™️
Now to the question: how did I accidentally ended up watching the German Matrix, aka GerMatrix, aka Welt am Draht, aka WORLD ON A WIRE? The short answer: I'm cheap. The long answer: I refuse to pay full price for almost anything in life and that extends to how I buy dvd's, blu-rays, and all other types of physical media. Because of that I've built a system for buying movies which involves me blindly purchasing titles off a used bookstore's website back in my homeland of Kentucky (usually about $6 a pop) and hoping for the best... I'd never even heard of World on a Wire, but I was familiar with the director, and one "fuck it, we ball" later I was 2 edibles deep enjoying one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time.
Title: WORLD ON A WIRE (WELT AM DRAHT)
Release Year: 1973
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Watched: Friday, Blu-Ray
Where You Can Stream: Criterion Channel
Would I Recommend: YES
Synopsis: Somewhere in the future there is a computer project called Simulacron one of which is able to simulate a full featured reality, when suddenly project leader Henry Vollmer dies. His successor Dr. Fred Stiller experiences odd phenomena. A good friend, Guenther Lause, disappears in the middle of a conversation and a week later nobody has ever heard of him. And those fits of dizzyness - Stiller cannot believe himself to be fool. There has to be an explanation for all this. Could Simulacron have something to do with it?
Review: This movie answers the timeless question of ‘What would The Matrix be like if it were an arthouse German film?’ The answer: ABSOLUTE CINEMA. And to be clear, this is incredibly not my bag, baby. It’s German. It’s 50 years old. It was originally a made-for-TV mini-series. It's THREE AND A HALF HOURS LONG. I could go on and on listing out things about this film that would usually make me say “I aint watching that shit”, but I took a chance and I’m so glad I did.
It follows the well tread sci-fi subgenre of 'we live in a simulation’ movies, however what separates it from something like THE MATRIX is that the focus is on the psychological. It trades in the leather jackets, Y2K sunglasses, and messiah subtexts for a more grounded approach. How would you react if you found out that you were living in a simulation? You'd probably want to know if you're the only one who knows, what it means for your existence, and what the point of continuing to live would be. All these questions are explored expertly and thoroughly throughout the lengthy runtime. The camera work is breathtaking and the world it lives in feels unique and fully realized. The performances will suck you in, with the main character looking alarmingly like Jack Nicholson in CHINATOWN. The themes it explores are more relevant than ever -- corporations who would exploit world changing technology to collect personal data on civilians and predict consumer buying habits without considering the morality of it? Sounds familiar! You'll immediately feel it's influence on works to come such as the aforementioned Matrix Trilogy, Westworld, and more. In sum, this is something that should be known more and simply isn't.
Why isn’t it talked about more? Well, as it turns out this shit literally went MISSING for 20 years, before being re-discovered and subsequently re-released in the late 90s. Take my word for it or not, but I promise that if you’re a fan of sci-fi this is something worth spending your time/money on.
If you’re interested in hearing more of my movie & tv opinions, want to tell me why my takes are wrong, or have any suggestions for me (love those!), make sure to watch The Long Take and to follow me on X, Instagram, and Letterboxd.