"The Ortlieb Women" by director Luc Bondy is a pessimistic drama about a family struggling to survive after the death of their father. Left behind are the simple-minded mother, the strong-willed daughter Josefine, another sister and a mentally retarded brother. Josefine takes the scepter and takes care of the family. She makes the sister a maid and forces her brother to live in the cellar. The theater director Bondy's first film is based on Franz Nabl's novel "Das Grab des Lebendigen" and premiered at the 1981 Berlinale.