Libi

Libi (1968), whose title is perhaps a punning conflation of “love” (“liebe” in German) and “libido,” begins with an onscreen title: “DIESER FILM ZEIGT WIE DAS LEBEN EBEN SO IST” (“This film shows how life actually is”). We are treated to a blowjob, an umbrella indiscreetly protruding from a man’s ass as he reads the newspaper, anonymous people contorting their asses before each other, and scenes of priests performing sacraments whose moldering ritualism stands in contrast to Müehl’s liberated sexual display. A sign reading “Direct Art” is then pulled away to reveal a close-up penis lurking beneath.