13. March 2017

ACROSS THE LINE

Within the frame of Off the Wall Expanded, the programme Across the Line, supported by EU audience development, covering six countries, allows a closer look at the work of rising filmmakers who deal with Europe’s current challenges.

FAMILY FILM by Olmo Omerzu

Igor und Irena begeben sich auf einen langen Segeltrip weit weg von zu Hause. Ihre fast erwachsenen Kinder, den 15-jährigen Erik und dessen schon studierende Schwester Anna, lässt das gut situierte Paar zurück. Nur der Hund darf mit. Nach ihrer Abreise zeigt sich bald, dass die neu gewonnene Freiheit der Kids auch ihre Tücken hat. Aus der anfänglichen Unbeschwertheit der beiden Jugendlichen wird nämlich schon bald ein Maß an Unvorsichtigkeit, das nicht ohne Folgen bleibt. Als dann noch das Schiff ihrer Eltern in einem Unwetter auf hoher See sinkt, spitzt sich die Situation gefährlich zu. Der auf einer einsamen Insel gestrandete Hund scheint plötzlich die einzige Hoffnung der zerbrechenden Familie zu sein. Beeindruckende Bilder und eine gelungene Story gehören zu den größten Stärken dieser Produktion, die letztlich ein Abenteuerfilm der etwas anderen Art geworden ist. Spürbar ist auch eine gewisse Verfremdung, die auf mehreren Ebenen zur Geltung kommt. Lange Kameraeinstellungen lassen manche Szenen beinahe surreal erscheinen. Eliška Křenková als die Jugendliche Kristýna sticht mit ihrer schauspielerischen Leistung ebenso hervor wie Karel Roden, der Familienvater. Und natürlich trägt auch der Familienhund Otto einen guten Teil zum gesamthaften Gelingen von Family Film bei. Völlig zu Recht mit dem Prädikat „besonders wertvoll“ bedacht.

THE CITIZEN by Roland Vranik

Wilson, a 50-year-old African man, has lost his entire family to war. After a dangerous journey, he ended up in Hungary. Despite his bitter past, he hasn’t lost his confidence in life nor his sense of purpose. He works as a security guard in a shopping centre and tries to start a new life. Most of all, however, he wants to be a model citizen. On this quest of his, he is helped by Mari, a local, who above all else wants to provide him with an understanding of the history and the constitution of his host country. She is focused on these two subjects specifically as they are the main topic of discussion in the process of naturalisation. As the two fall in love, Shirin, a heavily pregnant Iranian woman, comes into Wilson’s life. She takes refuge in his home as she hides from the police and the authorities. As the apartment becomes more crammed with the birth of the child, the problems between Wilson, Mari and Shirin grow exponentially. In his unorthodox love story, Roland Vranik plays with the subject of integration. How long does it take to accept a country as a new home? And how long does it take to be accepted by the new country? A film with a touching message, lacking in technical frills but rich in amateur acting, giving it not only a very natural, but a very authentic flare.

ZOOLOGY by Ivan I. Tverdovsky

Natasha works at the local zoo. In her mid-fifties, she still lives at home with her mother. The Russian woman appears to have a deeper relationship with the animals in her care than with her colleagues and the people around her. Her lonely life seems to be totally stuck. Until one day, when she realises that a big tail has grown on her back. Because she is in pain, she goes to the doctor and finally meets the young radiologist Pyotr, who seems to accept her abnormality. The two get closer to one another and Natasha really blossoms. In the meantime, a rumour spreads around the neighbourhood about a woman who might be possessed by the devil. Natasha’s dominant and extremely religious mother vehemently tries to protect herself from the threatening evil force. At first glance, the story with fictional elements appears to be a tragedy with an unhappy protagonist, who supports the universal status of outcasts. Not only, but also especially because of the variety of psychological and social approaches of interpretation, the film is difficult to categorise. It plays with the expectations of the viewer and, almost until the end, remains a manifest of joy in one’s uniqueness.

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DISCUSSION
UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
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