Stroszek
A former prisoner, a desperate prostitute, and an eccentric neighbor pursue a new life in Wisconsin, only to encounter the absurd cruelty of poverty and failed belonging.
Overview
A haunting tale of hope and despair as two lost souls seek a fresh start in a harsh new land.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- bleak
- tragicomic
- arthouse cinema night
- serious film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a highly original, tragicomic portrait of alienated outsiders and the collapse of the American dream.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bruno, Eva, and Scheitz struggle with poverty, criminal exploitation, isolation, and limited social skills.
The move from Germany to Wisconsin promises renewal, but work, housing, debt, and strained relationships undermine that promise.
Bruno's music, Scheitz's eccentricity, and the bizarre Wisconsin episodes coexist with beatings, debt, and emotional collapse.
The winter-bound Wisconsin prairie and trailer compound Bruno's alienation after immigration.
Films like Stroszek, and why
Alice in the Cities
shared outsider protagonists, bleak social observation, darkly comic tone, and road-movie displacement
Wendy and Lucy
shared tragicomic examination of marginalized lives, economic precarity, and failed escape into a new environment
The King of Comedy
shared absurdist humor, alienated characters, and emotionally harsh critique of social and economic systems
Paris, Texas
shared road-movie structure, failed American dream, and melancholy attention to people on society's margins
Movie Details
- Director
- Werner Herzog
- Release Date
- 1977-05-20
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (314)
Cast
- Bruno S.
- Eva Mattes
- Clemens Scheitz
- Wilhelm von Homburg
- Burkhard Driest
- Clayton Szalpinski
- Ely Rodriguez
- Alfred Edel
- Scott McKain
- Pitt Bedewitz
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Stroszek about?
- A former prisoner, a desperate prostitute, and an eccentric neighbor pursue a new life in Wisconsin, only to encounter the absurd cruelty of poverty and failed belonging.
- What is Stroszek like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Stroszek as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Stroszek violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Stroszek as moderate.
- What did critics think of Stroszek?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a highly original, tragicomic portrait of alienated outsiders and the collapse of the American dream.
- Which films are like Stroszek?
- Films with a similar feel include Alice in the Cities, Wendy and Lucy, The King of Comedy, and Paris, Texas.
- How long is Stroszek?
- Stroszek runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Stroszek?
- In United States, Stroszek streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
