Excavator Drama in Lindau: A moving family drama at the Park Theater
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Filmforum: Excavator Drama – a touching family drama at the Park Theater Lindau
On Thursday, November 12, 2026, the Filmforum will present the Swiss feature film Excavator Drama by Piet Baumgartner at the Park Theater Lindau. This 94-minute drama tells the story of a family whose daily life is thrown off balance between excavators, management, and grief. The screening begins at 7:30 PM and will be shown in the original version with subtitles.
Between construction machinery and family silence
The focus is on a family of four in the Bern area that operates a small excavator business. Renting, selling, and repairing define their shared daily life. When daughter Nadine dies in a canoe accident, the familiar family structure loses its stability. The business continues, but behind the scenes, silence, misunderstandings, and emotional distance grow.
Grief, change, and an unusual excavator ballet
Director and screenwriter Piet Baumgartner combines a finely observed family drama with impressive imagery from the world of heavy construction machinery. The annual excavator ballet becomes a symbol of the attempt to move on despite the loss. Mother Conny seeks therapeutic support, father Paul turns to a woman from the village choir, while son Daniel considers a new beginning in the USA.
A personal film with international recognition
Excavator Drama is Baumgartner's first feature film and incorporates many autobiographical experiences of the director. The production received the New Directors Award at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Additionally, the film was honored with two awards at the Max Ophüls Prize. The personal perspective gives the story about loss, love, identity, and family cohesion a special emotional depth.
Film art for an attentive audience
The Filmforum caters to cinema-goers who appreciate strong characters, societal themes, and a distinctive visual language. The event connects demanding film culture with a concentrated cinema experience and offers space for reflection on grief processing, family roles, and the question of how people reconnect after a stroke of fate.
Conclusion: Visitors can expect a quiet, poignant, and simultaneously unusual family drama, where excavators become powerful images for movement, stagnation, and change. Those who want to experience extraordinary European cinema and personal stories on the big screen should not miss the screening at the Park Theater Lindau.
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