Archive of films Dead Man´s Memories / Der gläserne Blick

Austria / Germany
2003, 88 min

Section: Official Selection - Competition
Year: 2003

Writer-director Markus Heltschl’s film presents a crime mystery about the relativity of truth. The author himself designated it as “a story of obsession to observe other.”

Synopsis

A corpse of an unknown man is found on a beach near Lisbon. Detective Pinto is in charge of the investigation and immediately discovers the victim’s video camera. The camera holds shots of a girl who knew the deceased. He soon searches out the witness who turns out to be a foreign student. When questioned Alice describes to the sceptical detective her strange relationship to archaeologist Hans, who was allegedly using her to heal own frustrations through. A young man named Fernando who was killed in a truck accident is another key figure…. Writer-director Markus Heltschl’s film presents a crime mystery about the relativity of truth. The author himself designated it as “a story of an obsession to observe others.” All protagonists – the victim, the female suspect and the detective – are burdened with traumas and each hides something. Video recordings play a key role in a narration reminiscent of Atom Egoyan´s early films. They serve to gradually and clearly reveal a film reality which has been shot in accordance with the Dogma 95 manifesto.

About the director

Markus Heltschl (b. 1952, Innsbruck, Austria) studied at film school in Vienna. He has been a screenwriter for, among others, Christian Berger’s film Raffl (1984), screened in the Directors Fortnight section at Cannes, and Lukas Stepanik’s Unter Freunden (1991). Heltschl’s debut was Am Rande der Arena (2000), followed by the animated short Space in Time (2001).

Contacts

Austrian Films
Stiftgasse 6, 1070, Vienna
Austria
Tel: +43 1 526 33 23
E-mail: [email protected]
www: austrianfilm.com

Agora Film GmbH
Dreimühlenstr. 4, D - 80469, Mratín
Germany
Tel: +49 89 202 1615
Fax: +49 89 201 1412
E-mail: [email protected]

TTV Film
Haus 71, A - 6072, Lans
Austria
Tel: +43 512 377 478
Fax: +43 512 377 478-4
E-mail: [email protected]

About the film

Color, 35 mm
World premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Competition

Director:	Markus Heltschl
Screenplay:	Markus Heltschl
Dir. of Photography:	Christian Berger
Music:	Michael Gallaso, Amonar Brahem
Editor:	Markus Heltschl
Producer:	Christian Berger, Susanne Schlaepfer
Production:	TTV Film, koprodukce / coproduction: Agora Film GmbH
Cast:	Sylvie Testud, Miguel Guilherme, Klaus Pohl, Ana Bustorf, Rita Blanco
Contact:	Austrian Films, Agora Film GmbH, TTV Film