Servus Papa, See You in Hell (2022)
Directed by Christopher Roth
The movie is based on Jeanne Tremsal’s (script) memories of her life in the real-life commune established by the artist Otto Mühl in 1972. He was convicted of several counts of child abuse and drug offences, after the commune finally fell apart in the 90-ies.
The cardinal rule of the commune was free sex. Monogamy was strictly forbidden, which was relentlessly enforced by a rigid hierarchical structure with Mühl and his close council of women on top as well as by daily humiliation rituals disguised as art performances. Children were separated from their families and lived on the main commune island with Otto and his cronies, while their parents were delegated to work at the commune owned MLM to ensure its financial security.
The story in the movie is heavily fictionalized, as per Tremsal’s wishes and so unfolds exclusively from Jeanne’s (Jana McKinnon) perspective, as she shows us her daily life in the commune. Every shot shows a sweeping bright and sun-soaked landscape of flower fields teeming with insects and people kissing, making art and dancing. But underneath it all is a solid layer of dread, thanks to the editing and the eerie soundtrack. Clemens Schick as Otto is terrifying from the start, as he mugs, whines and abuses his way through the movie, spurred on by his entourage.
As this is the only life Jeanne knows, we’re shown unsettling moments and practices in an impartial, sometimes even amused manner. A lot of things are taken in stride or not registered at all, until a more or less cohesive story of abuse, terror and fascist overtones emerges seemingly from nowhere, although it was happening right under out noses throughout the entire movie.
Servus Papa, See You in Hell is a hard movie to watch, showing us, how our society’s reverence for non-conformist “genius” male artists can bring forth something as disgusting as Otto Mühl, who terrorized and abused an entire generation of women. It shows us that victims are often unprotected and shunned, as to not disturb the status quo and that the only solution is to band together and speak out even for those who can’t or won’t do it for themselves.