Berlin JWD

Summary

In his documentary, Bernhard Sallmann explores the area between the Berlin Ringbahn and the city limits, an urban landscape with a changeful history. At the end of the 19th century, the area was considered "jwd", "janz weit draußen" (the Berlin expression for way out there), and was a popular destination for the working class. Today, one finds a mixture of wildly rampant nature, industrial zones and construction sites, of historic buildings and new constructions. Sallmann captures all of this at different times of the year in still shots, allowing the viewer's eyes to wander. There are no interviews and no off-camera commentary; only occasionally do people walk through the precisely framed shots.