Maikäfer flieg

Vienna 1945; the end of the Second World War through the eyes of 10-year old Christine. Bombed out of her home and completely destitute, she and her mother flee to a villa in Neuwaldegg. Later, they're joined by her father who has deserted. Together, they long for the war to end. After the Nazi capitulation, Red Army soldiers are quartered in the house. Everyone is scared of the Russians, as they're supposed to be unpredictable only Christine isn't. For her, the general anarchy is like a great adventure. Cheeky and inquisitive, she explores her surroundings and the new arrivals and finds afriend in the Russian cook Cohn. Maikäfer flieg is the filmed adaptation of the autobiography of Christine Nöstlinger,a well-known writer of children's books, and portrays the end of the war through the bizarre, imaginative gaze of a child. (Filmfest Hamburg)