Pigsty

The film opens with narration contrasting the Germany of Bonn with the Germany of Hitler. The opening credits play over images of a pigsty, underscored by an instrumental version of the Horst-Wessel-Lied.

A young man wanders the volcanic slopes of Etna, Sicily, killing and eating insects and small animals. The harsh landscape sets a tone of isolation and predation that frames his later acts.

He flees from garrisons, fearful of being spotted, and only approaches corpses. This period of avoidance shows his obsession taking shape.

Not long after, he is no longer satisfied with animal flesh and desires human flesh. Seeing the same garrison again, he lures and kills a soldier, beginning his cannibalistic rampage.

Following the initial kill, more people join the transformed journey, including some women. The group expands the scope of violence and predation.

News of the cannibal raids reaches a nearby village, provoking fear and a response from locals. The community begins to mobilize to confront the threat.

The cannibals are surrounded and captured by the villagers. During the capture, one of the cannibals speaks a famous line about his acts, underscoring the brutality of the moment.

Poles are erected and the cannibals are bound to them, left to be devoured by stray dogs. The grim spectacle serves as a stark moral statement about destruction.

In 1967, a villa at Godesberg becomes the center of Julian's claustrophobic life. His radical fiancée Ida is neglected as he isolates himself.

Julian secretly sneaks into a pigsty and lies with the pigs whenever he can. This secret act marks his radical rebellion against normal social constraints.

Julian slips into a trance, lying in an armchair and becoming indifferent to the world around him. His detachment deepens as external pressures mount.

Two men arrive at the villa: Guenther introduces Herdhitze to Klotz, Julian's father figure. Herdhitze hints at a macabre background involving Jewish bodies used for experiments, unsettling Klotz.

Herdhitze's revelation pressures Klotz to reconsider joining his company. Klotz initially refuses, but the possibility of leveraging the scandal forces him to hesitate.

Julian tries to discuss his ideas about love with Ida, though not about the relationship itself. Meanwhile, Ida leaves the villa to marry someone else as Klotz and Herdhitze solidify a company.

Julian goes to the pigsty and allows himself to be devoured by the pigs. His end is not shown on screen and is instead revealed through a dialogue between Herdhitze and the gardener Maracchione.