Hello Stranger

Thomas and Felipe dance exuberantly around their kitchen, as a couple and with others, to cumbia or Joy Division, made up with lipstick depending on the time of day and their mood. The recurring dance scenes express the sense of freedom in their chosen life path. Thomas Ammann, the protagonist of the autobiographical Hello Stranger, lives with his Colombian husband Felipe Monroy in an old apartment in Geneva. They are both film students (see Tacacho by Monroy in the Festival programme) who love each other and also like women. But these love triangles result in jealousy and, as much as Thomas stands by his lifestyle, he is plagued by insecurities towards his parents. He allows his own story to emerge in a way from the Super 8 films of his father's youth, by placing them in a dialogue with images from his own life. The often associative and emotionally poignant editing reflects the fragility of his situation. This intimate film presents an impressively honest and melodramatic snapshot of a phase in a life.

Jenny Billeter