Just Visiting This Planet

Kazuo Ohno, by now 84 years of age, is a legendary Japanese Butoh dancer. He was born under the sign of the Horse. His motto: "If you can't make it, try! Always try! Do the impossible! Don't think!" Blixa Bargeld sings him two songs from Schubert's 'Winterreise'. Nina Hagen sings for him too, and Jonas Mekas: a gipsy song, accom-panied by the sound of a bell. Young Butoh-students dance in Ohno's studio, his kitchen. His son Yoshito and his wife Chie are fascinating in their powerful innocence. Kazuo Ohno brings hope in the chaos of this world. But sometimes "Be free!" is frightening. "I saw a very old horse, with thin hair, all skin and bone, it stood there in magnificent sunlight, everyone watched it, stared at it. It stood still and had nothing to hide. The old horse was beautiful, very beautiful. Many people were allowed to ride it. The horse felt happy carrying them. The living and the dead. They were flowers. The horse was very happy. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)