Sobota

As a former criminal and ruthless pimp, Sobota was well known in the red-light district of 1960s Vienna. Sent to prison, he wrote an autobiographical “novel/account” which became a bestseller on publication at the end of the 1970s and, because of its violence, was copiously mythologised in the media. Going beyond the fascination, the man and the text are disconcerting. Rather than attempting to find presumed motives, this film, lying between fiction and documentary, explores the dark side of humanity through a singular meeting between a young woman and Sobota more than forty years later. Tension runs through it, exacerbated by cold, sharp images and Sobota’s whispering voice – no doubt lost during a past illness. The ambiguity of the relationship between these two individuals is difficult to bear, inevitably making us feel uncomfortable, to some extent, yet curious. “When you find yourself again, locked up, behind bars, in a cement bunker, in an unlit cellar, that's when you realise how dangerous you are.” (Sobota)

Emilie Bujès