Opening 24 Nov 2005
Directed by:
Til Franzen
Writing credits:
Til Franzen
Principal actors:
Antoine Monot Jr., Hanna Schygulla, Dominique Horwitz
In this blue border – the hazy line between the living and the dead – director Til Franzen weaves together two love stories that are aided by a mysterious and unseen force. The subject of “spiritism” is often sceptically brushed aside as mere nonsense, but many people can share a story of a close call, a near miss or a strange coincidence where they felt that someone was watching over them. The Russian mothers of the slain children in Breslau are being criticised for working with a spiritist; however, they have all shared the same dream where their children have talked to them. Communicating with the dead is not nonsense when you have been privileged to a personal experience. In the film, Momme’s father unexpectedly passes away, and he travels to bring the news to his grandfather in Flensburg. There he meets Lena, who touches his heart but quickly leaves to take care of her aging grandmother in Denmark, thus beginning the lost-and-found search for one another. However, not even the guards at the Danish border nor an accidental fall into the cold and deep sea can keep these two souls apart, with help from Lena’s grandmother and Momme’s dead father.
The second love story involves the chief of police Poulsen, who believes himself to be a master communicator and friend to all, while actually being pathetically lonely. A move to a new house introduces a new neighbor into his life, the widowed Frau Marx (Hanna Schygulla), and a mysterious coincidence brings them closer together.
Mr. Franzen states that, “The things that arouse my interest are mostly those stories that are rich in mystery and whose own magic emanates more from the pauses than from what is actually said.” He has created a beautiful and haunting story of love and belief. If we can open our heart and mind to the possibility that the dead still have some influence in this world, then our lives become all the more interesting. (Patricia Ritz)
