Der Schnee (The Snow) - A Short Film

Der Schnee (The Snow), directed by independent cinematographer, Don Jia, envoy of the New Wave of Zero Level Cinema, dedicated to emptying film of its narrative/theatrical content in lieu of more experimental approaches to film-making (and notable for its thematic and formal interrogation of The Void) marks the second installment in a Schizophrenia triptych (preceded by Schizo's Are Never Alone). The plot of Der Schnee revolves around a housebound recluse by the name of Friedrich, your typical agoraphobe, who spends most his time toking and listening to obscure lo-fi recordings, when on the day he had scheduled to go out and do his weekly groceries, a gigantean blizzard turns the world outside into winter wonderland. Not to be stunted so easily, he wills himself to go anyway, out into the snow, and opts for the scenic route through nearby woods, where it is that things become less clear -- Friedrich soon seems to have gotten a bit lost, perhaps having himself a chronic-aided "Robert Frost moment," overwhelmed by the whiteness and solitude, triggering intimations of non-being, et cetera, at which point there is a rupture in the film's narrative timecode. This juncture coincides with the moment civilization approaches, and while the camera is adrift, focusing on nothing in particular, passively registering the passersby like so many snowflakes, the viewer is left disoriented, wondering whether Friedrich even ever made it out of those woods at all. When he does make his appearance again, the viewer is prompted to question whether Friedrich actually went to the shop at all, or whether he didn't just make a U-turn, away from civilization and its libidinal spheres of disenchantment.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Der
• Schnee
• The
• Snow
• Robert
• Frost
• Woods
• Heidegger
• Diemen
• 2010
• winter
• sneeuw

[DJHarrie]

Man, this movie was expensive to make, what with all the artificial snow and all...

[JaxHad]

Lots of snow!! Looks great.Nice work.