“The Gstettensaga: The Rise of Eschenfried” is a social-commentary
sausage, run through a Monty Python meat grinder and seasoned with a
sprinkling of “Kin-dza-dza!” Two heroes search for the elusive
Echsenfriedl (translation: Freddy Lizard) as they wonder a
post-apocalyptic world armed with the “newest” gadgets (a VHS camera and
a “field telephone” connected to a 10-foot-tall satellite dish carted
around in a wheelbarrow). Most of the movie has a no-budget, anti-aesthetic, DIY, zombie-flashmob vibe, while other parts are beautifully filmed and prove surprisingly striking.
