Archive of films My Father's House / Das Haus meines Vaters

Austria
2013, 63 min

Section: Official Selection - Out of Competition
Year: 2013

A car stands parked in the middle of a meadow, and a woman brings the driver his morning coffee. Who are these people, and why did the man apparently sleep away from home when someone close to him was nearby? Despite the fact that something fundamental is going on inside its protagonist, this serene film, playing out in a series of long shots, draws its strength from the absence of "ordinary” drama.

Synopsis

A woman brings coffee to a man sleeping in a car. The overall calm atmosphere, however, is accompanied by a touch of uncertainty. Why did the man spend the night in the middle of a meadow? What is the relationship between these two people? What might the man’s destination be when, even though he seems to be in a familiar place, it’s clear he’s somewhat at a loss? Although it treats the unnerving topic of addressing past accounts, the film seems rather to work with suggestion and an air of serenity that gradually give rise to more concrete information. Employing a unique perspective, this evocative and distinctive picture doesn’t seek to uncover hidden interests and subtexts – it "simply” allows time to flow by, without resorting to explicit dramatic effects. In their absence, even the impression of solitude is merely intuited, but extremely tangible nevertheless. The movie, which evokes the uncomfortable feeling that we’re home yet at the same time we feel out of place, was shot in real time with a significant dose of actor improvisation. And the role played in the story by the eponymous old house is far from negligible.

About the director

Ludwig Wüst (b. 1965) is an Austrian screenwriter, director, and producer who hails from Bavaria. He studied acting and singing at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Whereas he directed theater in Frankfurt and Berlin, in Leipzig and Vienna he directed opera. His raw picture Koma (2009) provoked great interest and was shown at countless film festivals. Selected additional filmography: Egyptian Eclipse (Ägyptische Finsternis, 2002), Two Women (Zwei Frauen, 2006), and Tape End (2011) – an hour-long film using just one shot. The short film PASOLINICODE02112011 (2012) premiered exclusively over the internet.

Contacts

sixpackfilm
Neubaugasse 45/13, 1070, Vienna
Austria
Tel: +43 152 609 900
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.sixpackfilm.com

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

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About the film

Color, DCP
International premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Out of Competition

Director:	Ludwig Wüst
Screenplay:	Ludwig Wüst
Dir. of Photography:	Klemens Koscher
Editor:	Samuel Käppeli
Producer:	Ludwig Wüst
Production:	Film-pla.net
Cast:	Nenad Smigoc, Martina Spitzer
Contact:	sixpackfilm, Austrian Films