Whats the deal with the Treer company, and why are there all these references to Karl Marx?
The Treer company is a German defense contractor that employs Dr. Inga Von Westphalen, a zeppelin designer and the Baron’s mother. In the “Southland Tales” universe, when war broke out following the nuclear attacks in Texas, Treer was contracted to build several mega-zeppelins to ferry troops and equipment across the world. Kelly has said that this idea was inspired by a real U.S. Army project. In the universe of the film, Dr. Inga Von Westphalen is also the granddaughter of Jenny Von Westphalen, Karl Marx’s wife. The name Treer is a reference to Trier, Marx’s birthplace. All of these references to Marxism aren’t entirely unconnected to the film’s biblical references. The Book of Revelation and Marxism have been connected by academics — both advocate the overthrow of tyranny. In fact, Marx was indirectly influenced by the Book of Revelation in his writing. If you replace the Antichrist with the bourgeoisie, and the kingdom of God with a communist utopia, you’ve got the same basic narr
