Besuch im Bubenland

In southern Burgenland, a region where time seems to stand still, a filmmaker encounters men of different ages and backgrounds. With her cell phone camera, she documents conversations about work, family, dreams, and the challenges of modern life. The men open up, share their stories, and reflect on their roles in a changing society. What begins as personal field research unfolds into a quiet but profound portrait of a region and its men. Initial strangeness gives way to trust. The men talk about hurt, expectations, loneliness. The camera stays close, but is never intrusive. This is a film about role models, home, but also about the unspoken, which only dares to reveal itself in the presence of the director. WHEN I WENT TO VISIT THE BOYS premiered at the Diagonale in 2024 and has received multiple awards as a formally and thematically unique documentary film. Katrin Schlösser directs, observes, asks questions, and remains present without dominating. After her debut SZENEN MEINER EHE (SCENES FROM MY MARRIAGE), she once again ventures into a cinematic experiment that creates intimacy through reduction. The result is a quiet, empathetic film about masculinity, closeness, and distance and about the attempt to really listen to one another.