Fenster Blau

It is winter as Ljöscha arrives on Norderney, an island in the North Sea. The boy is looking for his father in the hope of shedding some light on his own past. He only finds his grandfather who does not want anything to do with him and even threatens him with a gun, swearing wildly at him in an attempt to chase him away from his caravan-like hut on the beach. But, the youngster is persistent in the search for his father. He is intent on knowing about him and this stubbornness drives him on. Eventually grandfather and grandchild begin to bond over their conversations. This is the first narrative of the film: filmed in crystal-clear, luminous, rough and wind-swept black-and-white images. The second narrative observes the play of closeness and distance between a painter and his model in the studio. Where are we? In the beyond? In paradise? In some urban realm? This story, too, remains in black-and-white. And yet, in this relationship-drama oscillating between desire and being desired, between tenderness and rage, power and impotence, an icy artificial marine blue gleams, as a momentary shock effect. It might be a monochrome area of the floor or at the window, then again it becomes the colour of the young woman’s hands, who is rendered erotically attractive. It is the colour of her face, or her hair. A deeper blue, that symbolically underlines and links both narratives. (Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg)