Gefischte Gefühle (1980)

Caught Feelings is the succinct title of a film which deals with emancipation trends from the viewpoint of young Austrians. Manfred Kaufmann's first film reports on tensions which may arise from the contradictions between collective and individual feelings. He works with subtle and psychologically perfected indications which explain the symptoms and illustrate the reactions. But this film is also a vehement attack on bourgeois feelings and the resulting behaviours. He shows character traits which use masks to simulate emotion as well as those which are ready to remove their masks in order to let feelings take effect. (Herbert Holba)