Edgar Honetschläger
Austria | 2013 | 82 min
World premiere
Language : German
Subtitles : English, French
A travelling artist, painter and filmmaker has a centenarian neighbour. The relationship between this man in his forties and the solitary old lady with a wicked sense of humour gradually becomes a kind of elective kinship. Their discussions, interrupted and picked up again over the years, form the fabric of this personal, tender and surprising film. A calm observation on the inescapable power of the passage of time.
“If you drink this juice, you’ll make it to a hundred” – “I made it to a hundred without this juice, didn’t I?” The filmed relationship between the director, a man in his forties, a painter and traveller, and Omsch, his centenarian neighbour, is peppered with wise and sparkling dialogue of this kind. Begun by chance and for fun, over time it becomes the poignant testimony to a kind of elective kinship. Their encounters, discussions and correspondence, interrupted and picked up again over the years, form the fabric of this personal, tender and surprising film. A calm and imperturbable observation on age and on the inescapable power of the passage of time. “Omsch had the ability to make you feel that being one hundred years old is a great joy. Emotions do not decrease; no, they gain in intensity as the years march on. The very old lady’s reasoning, her presence and her unfailing sense of humour are a fountain of youth. A friendship between old and young becomes an infinitely rewarding encounter for both. Getting old is not a threat, rather it's something one can sincerely look forward to.” (EH)
Luciano Barisone
Trailer
