Now on DVD: Aquarela

The fascinating thing about Victor Kossakovsky's current films is that he manages to make nature itself speak. Unlike most documentaries, there are no human protagonists to guide us through the film - not even a voice from the off to explain what we see. In "Vivan las Antipodas!", he used the cinematic technique of montage to contrast opposing locations around the globe, and in "Gunda" (NO/US), which premiered at this year's Berlinale, he conveyed the emotional world of a family of pigs with the help of observational close-ups. Last year, "Aquarela" had its theatrical release and is now available on DVD and Video on Demand. In pictures of partly breathtaking drama but also contemplative calm, Kossakovsky tells of the power of the element water in all its forms. And it is not only the powerful images, the soundtrack also develops a life of its own, making it possible to experience glaciers, waves, waterfalls and frozen lakes in familiar but also completely eerie sounds. An unusual film for home cinema, and one in which nature also literally challenges hi-fi and TV technology.