Kruste

Generational trauma is given a familial quirkiness in the short film Kruste (Crust) from new writer and director Jens Kevin Georg. 

Philip Kapell stars as Fabi, a 12-year-old boy who, with his sister Bea (Luise Landau) and father Otis (Heinz Wanitschek), are on vacation at their grandfather Winnie’s (Sven Hönig). This family has an unorthodox tradition of passionately celebrating scars (yes, literal cuts to their body), there is even a family tree upon a wall which has all of the members painted with a scene where they got their first scar - such as Otis who cut his hand chopping onions and has since been known cruelly as “Onion-boy”, a nickname which haunts him. 

The family set to work building a rollercoaster in the woods, which Winnie bought for Fabi when he was born. This makeshift theme park attraction could be just the opportunity Fabi needs to enter the wall of the scars. 

Fabulously zany and full of thematic depth, Kruste “cuts deep” into the scars we bear from the generations that came before us. Fabi is torn between wanting to belong and making his family proud (all of whom have no reservations about the glorification of serious injury to each other) with wanting to stay safe. In a beautifully telling scene with his father, Fabi is lectured on how everyone “has” to go through this and there is no other way. This utter abandonment of parental responsibility in favour of keeping with tradition and not upsetting his own parent shows how Otis too is a victim of this archaic belief system. 

The filmmaking feels fresh and has plenty of variety to keep viewers on their toes. A brilliant and anarchic slow-mo scene in the latter sections of the movie is particularly engaging, as is the wonderful sound design which elevates the film to feel akin to a Wes Anderson flick. The atmosphere created in Kruste has a marvellous dark comedy that allows the heavier emotional undercurrents to flow unseen but very much felt. 

Audiences will honestly love spending time with this family - it’s much more light-hearted than it may appear in a synopsis or indeed this short film review - and this is largely down to the four fantastic performances elicited from the masterful direction of Jens Kevin George. Kapell provides an impressive turn as the coming-of-age protagonist and has some brilliant scenes with other characters and by himself (that poor car’s steering wheel). Luise Landau shines in every scene she’s in as the reckless younger sister who wants Fabi to be happy and also wants to get her own scars quickly. The two more senior actors play their roles brilliantly, with Hönig excellent as the brutish authority and Wanitschek sublime as the wimp desperate to escape his mousy reputation.

As the directorial debut from this filmmaker, Jens Kevin George makes his own mark as a storyteller to watch out for, just maybe bring some plasters.

Watch our Video Film Review of Kruste.