Toilers and the Wayfarers, The (DVD Review) - B+
By Kage Alan

Sixteen-year-old Dieter (Matt Klemp) lives in a conservative German community of New Ulm, Minnesota, and goes through the day-to-day events of life and school with his best friend, Phillip (Andrew Woodhouse). Unfortunately, Philip has a bit of a crush on Dieter and is severely rebuffed after admitting his true feelings. Well, who wouldn’t have a crush on Dieter? Anyway, a second story that unfolds during this time is the arrival of Udo (Ralf Schrig) from Germany to live with his aunt who is apparently ailing.

When Phillip skips town and heads for the bigger city of Minneapolis for a different life, Dieter becomes friends with Udo and soon realizes there’s more to life than simply obeying the rules of his strict father. He also misses Phillip. Udo, meanwhile, doesn’t have a care in the world and goes hog wild with his newfound freedom, especially when his aunt dies. Both boys decide they need to get away from everything for a while, so they decide to take a road trip to Minneapolis and find Philip. Solid idea, but as with true life, forces work against them.

Fortunately, instead of being incredibly long and drawn out, “The Toilers and the Wayfarers” is only 75 minutes, just enough time for a major slice of life to unfold. While the characters start out (for the most part) naive and innocent, they end in a much different place, none of it very good. Such is life, though, and in that way the film excels.