| Decoder | |
| Director: | Muscha |
| Cinematography: | Johanna Heer |
| Editing: |
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| Studio: | Fett Film |
| Distributor: | Freunde der Deutschen Kinemathek |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes |
| Country: | West Germany |
Decoder is a 1984 West German film directed by Muscha. It is a cyberpunk and counter-cultural film roughly based on the writings of William S. Burroughs, who also acts in the film.[1] Bill Rice plays Jaeger ("Hunter"), an agent of the government in charge of suppressing dissidents, while FM Einheit plays a musician who discovers that by changing the background music at a burger shop from pleasantly calming to industrial "noise" music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government.
Decoder was made on a small budget, and was written by Muscha, Klaus Maeck, Volker Schäfer, and Trini Trimpop. Nevertheless, the project was able to attract a number of notable people within the countercultural and industrial music "scenes" to perform in it. Actors included Burroughs, Genesis P-Orridge, Christiane Felscherinow, and bands included Soft Cell, Psychic TV, Einstürzende Neubauten, and The The.
The film was considered "oddly forgotten", and for numerous years was not in wide circulation.[2] In 2019, however, the film was re-released on Blu-ray and DVD.[3]