OUTDOOR SCREENING * PART-TIME WORK OF A DOMESTIC SLAVE * 1973 * (Gelegenheitsarbeit einer Sklavin) * Directed by Alexander Kluge * 87 minutes * In German with English subtitles

In a way, this film has a story, but like all great movies, it also has a wider meaning: it helps us reflect on the world around us. The story focuses on Roswitha, a woman who has a hell of a life. She has a jerk for a husband, a family, and also, on the side, she runs an illegal abortion clinic. When her clinic is raided, her husband is arrested and she is left to fend for herself. But this process also gives her something... an understanding of how our society operates and how women are being targeted and marginalized. But also something else... she realizes that if she really wants to make a better life for her children, she can't just focus on her family, but has to act outside it. Therefore it is a movie about the necessity of becoming engaged in the world around us, and seeing the bigger picture.

We live in a society where we are being forced to do things constantly, where we are being threatened constantly... and yet we have gotten so used to this condition that it seems natural and we don't even notice it anymore. That's scary. Who says doing domestic work that you hate your entire life for jerks isn't a form of slavery? This is a great flick about many things, but also about the role of women in our society. In the end, it is about empowerment.

This glimpse into 1970s Germany shows us how little progress we have made since then, but also gives us a bridge to possible alternatives.

Doors open at 8, intro starts at 9pm * You can make a reservation here: info-amsterdam (a) goethe.de * Free entrance