A pilgrim's progressin the promised land. Stroszek (Bruno S.), a Berlin jailbird recentlysprung for the umpteenth time, knows a little bit about freedom, in afuzzy, subconscious sort of way. His friend Eva (Eva Mattes), astreetwalker abused by her pimp but always coming back for more,likewise senses that there's something else, somewhere. The funny thingis that they are wrong; there isn't. But they don't know that andneither do we until they have schlepped all the way to the barren winterof Wisconsin, purchased a trailer on time and furnished it with atelevision. TV is their window on the world, a symbol of the localfreedom-an endless montage of an America that will always remain beyondtheir reach. But where's the money to make the payments? Well, Stroszekis a mechanic, of sorts, and Eva is a waitress, of sorts; also, thisfilm contains one of the briefest, funniest heists in filmdom. But oldhabits die hard, and it's not long before Eva is climbing into the backsof trucks at the diner, and Stroszek is found sitting alone in thetrailer with his electronic buddy the TV, who doesn't speak any German.Soon they are both out on their ears in the chill air, the TV to beauctioned off, Stroszek to wander. Stroszek seems to have failed wherehis soul brothers, Chance the Gardner and Melvin Dummar, have not; it'sall a mystery to him, until at a funhouse he sees a chicken who can'tstop dancing-unless some kind person turns off the music. (JB)