aNewDomain
–Simone Wendel’s Kings of Kallstadt explores the roots of the Trump and Heinz families from the perspective of the residents of small rural town in Kallstadt, Germany.
Donald Trump is interviewed in this film, but the bulk of it is devoted to views and interviews with Kallstadt residents both there and during a special trip to New York City to march in a German Day parade.
The film explores how folks in the old country view their own lives now and their reactions to how some of the folks who left a long time ago made it big in America.
Seeing a small Mayberry-like town through the eyes of a few of the residents is quite enjoyable and occasionally very funny. My mother’s family came from Germany. I remember how my grandparents would occasionally speak German when we visited them when I was growing up in Columbus, Ohio.
I also have wonderful memories of a driving tour my wife and I took there when our children were little, an experience that convinced us to buy a German car when we returned.
The only jarring thing about the film is the occasional appearance of Trump himself. His on-screen lack of sincerity contrasts sharply with the openness of the Kallstadt residents when they are interviewed before and after their special visit to the U.S. Their comments about attendance at a U.S. major league baseball game are priceless!
Minor quibble: The English subtitles are white and occasionally difficult to read. Other than that, seeing the film made me want to go driving around Germany again.
For aNewDomain, I’m Dennis D. McDonald.
