New in the cinema: Veni Vidi Vici – sausages, hear the signals!

During Donald Trump’s first campaign as a presidential candidate, he announced in one of his confused speeches, perhaps astonished by his ever-growing following: “I could basically stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and still not lose any voters.” Sounds like material for one Movie, right? Right at the beginning of “Veni Vidi Vici” somewhere in Austria, billionaire Amon (Laurence Rupp) sets out to transform the rhetorical figure of Trump into reality and shoots an unsuspecting couple in ambush in the forest. Just like that, without any malicious ulterior motives. The butler then drives him home to his castle-like property, where his lovely wife (Ursina Lardi) and children are already waiting for the enthusiastic father.

Now Amon Maynard is by no means Trump and certainly not a monster; he is just very, very rich. To compensate for the strenuous everyday life as an investor/entrepreneur and for his work-life balance, he just has to go out into the countryside and hunt every now and then. Of course, killing animals isn’t possible at all, so innocent, randomly selected people have to believe in it. The public is worried, especially as cases are increasing. The crazy thing is that those responsible basically know what’s going on, and it’s hard to cover up the eerie series of murders in the long term. The police are investigating at full speed, but strangely enough, all progress comes to nothing and no one seems to be really interested in solving the problem and, above all, arresting the perpetrator.

Even the good game warden, an accidental witness to the above (double) murder, comes up against a wall of disbelief and rejection when he tries to forcefully bring his knowledge to the authorities. He just doesn’t want to understand the rules of the game. Finally, there is a billion-dollar investment in a brand new battery factory – albeit in the middle of a nature reserve, which isn’t really a problem given the relevant relationships.

“Veni Vidi Vici” comes from Austria, and only there does the ability to make such morbid, darkly humorous films seem to be widespread.

Sounds pretty thick? It is, but convincing in its implementation. “Veni Vidi Vici” comes from Austria, and only there does the ability to make such morbid, darkly humorous films seem to be widespread, at least in German-speaking countries. Ulrich Seidl (who co-produced the film), Michael Haneke, Wolfgang Murnberger, Josef Hader – all Austrians. And now the two young directors Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann. In their previous film works, they have repeatedly focused on capital and its driving forces, which are destroying the system of social equality.

Your current film wants to shake us up, and it does so with biting cynicism. There is little exaggeration here. The reality is that laws that actually apply to everyone are quickly overridden by a small elite. Just think of the system of tax havens and all the tax avoidance strategies that allow the rich to shirk responsibility for the community. All it takes is a tiny bit of exaggeration to make it satire.

The two filmmakers openly say that they had the type of Nicolas Berggruen in mind when their protagonist took shape in the script. We remember that it was the likeable Strahlemann who took over the insolvent Karstadt department stores for one euro in 2010 and was celebrated like a savior for it. After filleting the company and squeezing the last out of it, he sold it four years later to Signa boss René Benko, just as shady a figure as we know today. The people whose existence was at risk due to austerity programs and waves of layoffs were left behind.

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Tired of his own invulnerability, Maynard pushes the truth about the strange murders on his corrupt surroundings, but only receives sympathetic pats on the back and embarrassed looks. Only the investigative journalist who researches the case remains incorruptible, but only until he understands the futility of his actions and draws the consequences.

The film doesn’t moralize or psychologize, there isn’t even a classic conflict and the main character doesn’t go through any development – she comes, sees and wins. Oscillating between comedy and bitterly evil grotesque, »Veni Vidi Vici« must rather be understood as a parable for the moral depravity of late capitalism – which nevertheless comes across as very entertaining and has none of the dull thesis-like nature that is unfortunately so often inherent in left-wing messages.

The film’s thesis is hard to beat in terms of topicality. The political and economic influence of a global caste of super-rich has long been more powerful than any democracy. No law applies to people like Musk, Bezos or Trump; the power of money makes them godlike, no matter how amoral their actions and actions appear. The question that Hoesl and Niemann pose is simple: Who will stop these people – who if not us?! Now one could criticize that their message is quite clear, a little more subtlety would certainly have benefited the film. On the other hand, the seriousness of the matter is convincing, unlike Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness”, whose criticism of capitalism comes across as all too harmless and pleasant and which ultimately raises no questions.

But what is the seductive power of the neoliberal ideology based on, so that most people are content with a few falling crumbs of the cake and hardly anyone thinks that the cake itself should be distributed differently? What does it do to a society when amoral behavior becomes the norm? It’s not like the always approachable and charming Amon Maynard is an unpleasant person in front of the Lord. On the contrary, Mozart is listened to at home, his wife takes loving care of the two black adopted children and, as a human rights lawyer, looks after the humiliated of this earth. Even the butler is somehow part of the family. Is it possible to hate such popular figures when they are actually just like all of us? Even the actors clearly have fun with the role of super-rich that has been imposed on them. In the end, that’s probably exactly the neoliberals’ trick: to make us believe that we’re somehow all in the same boat, and that if we try hard enough, we’ll be able to take the wheel at some point.

The story is told entirely from the perspective of the eldest daughter Paula (Olivia Goschler), who comments on the events from the off. In her moral inscrutability, she embodies the next generation of neoliberalism, and despite her youth, she is no longer a stranger to the use of firearms. It is she who calls out to us at the end: “So get up, you sausages of this earth, you can stop me at any time. Otherwise you might be next.” Well, what are we waiting for?

»Veni Vidi Vici«: Austria 2024, directors: Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann, script: Daniel Hoesl. With: Laurence Rupp, Ursina Lardi, Olivia Goschler. 86 minutes. Playing in the cinema.