Movie : Am Rand Der Zeiten
Director : Jorg Reichlin
” The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact. One sees more devils than vast hell can hold,
That is, the madman…”
– William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The movie depicts the myriad portals visited by the psyche of an artist. It is a tale about the angst of a creator. An insulated soul is plagued by memory and visions. He is seen meandering around a self formulated thesis and antithesis. Wolfgang Hanerbrecht becomes the voice of the million tormented souls. An unanimous cry of melancholy from the artists in agony.
We confront the various sides of an artist with astute abilities. To think, to comprehend and to interpret. He paints a world that is profound even in its infinite filth. He adds meaning to the trivial and perhaps attaches a reason to every otherwise unrelated event. He represents the romantic facets of an individual. A forgetful person engaged in a never ending chase for the ideal. He chases the oblivion without an iota of regret. There are no rancid promises of yesterday or tomorrow waiting for him. He lives in the present endlessly creating images.
The plight of an artist is also hinted at in the movie. The narrative is fraught with moments that would break a normal person. However, in the case of the protagonist he almost expects to be disappointed. Somewhere between the lines one can read that his art thrived around moments of disillusionment. No impediment completely breaks him. Perhaps as the perfect disciple of Albert Camus he has learnt to embrace the absurd. He chooses no to run away from his agony.
A primeval combination of madness and creation can be located in the narrative. The tale has references that can be traced back to the philosophy of a number of both ancient and modern thinkers.
The monochrome represents an interesting aspect about the realm of the mortals. It represents a world with light and without it. Light that represents enlightenment, light that represents compassion and darkness that represents ignorance and indifference. The protagonist assumes the role of a flaneur. A mirror that projects the world and its inhabitants in a form sans any embellishments.
He tries to find solace. Involved in the elusive quest of finding mirth he finds himself in an absurd world without order. A world where chaos reigns supreme.
He relentlessly attempts to philosophize everything incongruent. He succeeds and fails in the process. However he refuses to give in to the machinations of the unknown.
The performance of Jörg Reichlin deserves a lot of credit. He carries the entire movie on his shoulders. He makes the character appear relatable. The genuine nature of his portrayal makes the viewers empathize with him.
The technical aspects add depth to the narration and none of the frames appear out of place. It is a movie that dissects the plight of a myriad artists. A must watch for all enthusiasts of creation and their creators.
