"Rotzbub" or "Willkommen in Siegheilkirchen" or "Snotty Boy" or "Welcome to Siegheilkirchen" is a co-production between Austria and Germany from 2021 with clear focus on Austria if we look at who made it, where it is set and also at the German you hear in here that surely comes with a strong Austrian accent. I kinda like it. I am not too big on Bavarian dialect or Swiss German, but Austrian is kinda cool. Anyway, the director is Marcus H. Rosenmüller and the reason he got a co-director here is that this is an animated movie and he has not really worked on animation and in the German-speaking area you will hardly find anybody more prolific in this department than Santiago Lopez Jover. Not as as director, but as an animator. Despite the Spanish name, his creative past is all about German-language films. If you take a look at all the stuff he already worked on, including Der Mondmann, another German animated film I enjoyed, it is quite impressive. Der Mondmann is maybe for kids and grown-ups, but this one we have here is almost exclusively for grown-ups because there is a great deal of sexuality involved here and political references too that go way beyond kids' understanding. Especially in terms of young kids. Screenplay is by Martin Ambrosch and he is also new to animation. The cast shows us that this is a film that successful performers wanted to be a part of. The likes of Düringer, Neuhauser (even if I don't like her in general), Steinhauer and Samarovski are all incredibly experienced in the Austrian (and partially German) film/entertainment industry. Nice too see an animated film can attract these names. It is not a particularly long movie at 85 minutes, but that is perfectly fine and feels like the right duration. No need for unnecessary stretching.

Maybe you read all those title names I listed at the very beginning and well, this has to do with censorship because the long titles include a slogan used by Hitler during the days of the 3rd Reich, so many are hesitant to use it for this film. They shouldn't be hesitant. No need to refuse to say these words if the context is fitting. It is another example of exaggerated political correctness. I even read in the subway on one occasion that they put ******** everywhere instead of saying the word. Oh man. It is so incredibly fitting here because this slogan totally reflects many of the villagers and their views decades later and you could see that their minds were still stuck in the 1930s. For example with the way how they treat Jews. They don't want them to eat and drink in the same pub or restaurant. And it is not just those two who are really radical and who planned some kind of explosion in the end, but also many others like the painter for example who has a bit of a racist background. Speaking of this explosion plan that did not come into effect because of two other more tolerant characters, this was maybe one of the weakest inclusions unfortunately, so the film does not really end on a totally high note. Some parts before that are superior quality-wise. I felt there that the movie sadly moved to the other extreme while trying to stand up (and rightfully so) against despicable tendencies. But that does not make smoking joints right, even if the futuristic reference to the upcoming hippie days was a bit on the funny side. The smoking cat cloud was too much though. Anyway, what I absolutely have to mention here is that the film is basically a motion picture version of the cartoons from Austrian caricaturist Manfred Deix. He died in 2016, but still worked a bit on this movie because they started making it in 2013 already, so a really long time ago and that means that it has been almost ten years since then until now when it got released. But the wait was worth it. The outcome is surely worth checking out if you like cartoons for grown-ups. Given the approach, not the looks, but the comedy, it reminded me a bit of Werner Beinhart.

The main character here, Rotzbub, does look a bit like the kid from the famous MAD magazines. Surely, you know what I mean. Maybe more derpy and with slightly sadder eyes. But he sure is living puberty to the fullest. Always on the lookout for attractive girls. And big breasts as well. This already starts when he is born. Like literally we see him inside the womb and there he touches his genital already and is also very happy when he gets to be close to his mother's big breasts. And very scared when he thinks the nurse will cut off his genital, but of course she is all about the umblical cord. So it is a truly chronological movie. We have a jump in time immediately afterwards and find out about the boy during his teenage years. How he experienced first love there was kinda sweet, also regardless of the ethnic background of the girl he is falling for. The kiss was cute. Nonetheless, if we look at how people think about the girl and her mother (she reminded me a bit of Amy Winehouse), it was truly progressive that this girl was about to become his girlfriend. The drama with the drawings okay, how his buddies altered them, it felt a bit like psuedo conflict to be honest, but was also not too bad. The scene before that when he drew himself to the beach and her right next to him was a pretty sweet gift. Looks-wise, this girl also could have been from a Disney movie, but the moment she opens her mouth and we hear this snotty Austrian dialect, surely it was not gonna happen. The females in this film clearly get away better than the guys and feel more likable. I mean there are also unlikable ones like the female mayor, but in the end she is also not as bad as her husband who has been sleeping with the Rubenesque woman and who even left his dirty underwear at her place. It all comes out and nobody's as clean and innocent as they pretend to be. The take on church and religion is also not really in favor. The teacher there and his son as well are among the most unlikable characters the film has to offer. Funny how evil (if you want to call it that) in terms of temptation still reached the church boy in the closing credits. And his father looked like Philipp Seymour Hoffman in Doubt. Oh well, may he rest in peace. Deix too.

There is nice attention to detail in this film and I am sure you will find scenes that you enjoy and also laugh a bit here and there. However, the humor is definitely not for everybody, so if you hate the film after the first 15-20 minutes, then most likely you will not start liking it later on because the approach stays the same and maybe the wise choice then would be to quit watching. However, it would be a bit of a pity. For me it was really the small moments that won me over with this film, not necessarily the big scenes like what exactly the boy paints on the church in the end or the big explosion and feces falling from the sky, even if the idea of this being literally brown Nazi **** (I will censor this word to make sure my review gets approved, but let me tell you it rhymes with "wit") was another creative triumph. Okay, the quote about God before that was kinda fitting what he wouldn't do. You know this was going to happen next, just like you knew the priest would also get his fair share when he thanked the Lord for sparing him and then he gets the biggest dirt bomb immediately afterwards of course. Animation and looks of the film are also pretty fine. We should not take this for granted. I still wonder to what extent this film describes Deix's own childhood a bit maybe. It is so obvious though that this could not be a (solely) German production. Austrians are perfectly fine with being politically incorrect while my fellow countrymen are oh so scared and ready to sacrifice any creativity if they have to in order to get the message as mainstream and boring as it can be. With wagging forefingers. The scene when the big-breasted woman says it is okay for the boy to touch her breasts surely would have been omitted otherwise. Just like many other scenes and quotes.

Oh yeah, the cat was cool too, the derpy shepherd dog as well, even if it did not have a lot of screen time. Glad he got saved. And the main character's parents seemed nice too. Caring family background for him and the dad had his own tragic past with losing an arm in war most likely. His own "explosion" in the end was really cool, how he stood up to the bullies finally after previously just saying he wants his calm when the Jewish mother and daughter are forced to leave. There are so many films out there dealing with fascism, but this one here brings something new to the table, not only because it is animated. So it is especially sad to see how, with the title, censorship strikes it to some extent as well already and the only consequence is that probably fewer people will see it. So I say that, if you get the chance to give it a watch wherever you live, no matter if big or small screen, then definitely go for it. The creativity included in here just like many funny scenes like when the boy jumps between toilets to collect the drawings 100% deserve to be seen. Not a great film, but a pretty good one and especially animation lovers should not miss out under any circumstance. I give it a positive recommendation. There are gross moments, but they felt real. I mean exploding acne can be a problem for sure, especially at a certain age. That's it now. I hope you watched already or otherwise what are you waiting for? This one is not super difficult to find and it is also a film about tolerance and understanding, just in its own right. With its very own and very crude, but unique approach to this utterly important subject. I myself choose said approach anytime over the ways how through their despicable passive-aggressive ways most films and media stations here in Germany try to indoctrinate us to be more tolerant ("tolerant"). Oh and if you cannot appreciate the politics in this film, then it is nonetheless worth seeing for its sweet love story. Thumbs-up! Fun watch.

Great movie that shows the double standards the adults live by. Especially in Austria, that was never de-nazified, and therefore still as to day never really have faced their past and history.

I highly recommend it.

The movie is based on the childhood and art of cartoonist Manfred Deix who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. It captures the look and feel of his art incredibly well.