Country Noise

Even German speakers may need subtitles for director Lisa Miller’s semi-autobiographical debut feature, Country Noise. Set in Bubenhausen, a small village in rural Swabia, the film follows two women at a crossroads. After two degrees and several dead-end internships, Toni, a former Berlin transplant, returns home to settle her inheritance and look for work. Languished by the conservative attitudes of her family and community, she oscillates between standing her ground and seeking distraction. 

Her only confidante is Rosa, a queer, down-to-earth social worker at the local Christian community center, whose life seems perfectly fine until Toni arrives. Their friendship soon turns into something more, but Toni’s self-serving behavior leaves Rosa in limbo until she is forced to make some difficult decisions. 

Entirely crowdfunded, Country Noise involved the whole village of Bubenhausen and a diverse cast of non-professional actors, lending the film a documentary-like quality. The result is a mumblecore-influenced Heimatfilm that playfully subverts the conventions of the traditional German homeland film. 

Streaming as part of “Spotlight on Genre”, a series revisiting post-war genre films made in Germany. From the postwar era to the present, this collection spans a wonderfully unruly range of genres: cult horror, dystopian science fiction, revisionist Westerns, dark fairy tales, psychological thrillers, rock musicals, and bittersweet social comedies. Whether embracing genre conventions or gleefully dismantling them, these films show how genre filmmaking can explore social anxieties, challenge expectations, and push cinematic boundaries. Discover the unexpected side of German cinema. 

Image © Miller&Müller Film