nebel

fog

‘To wander in fog – how queer! / Solitude is life’s own. / No man sees the other near, / Each is alone.’ (Hermann Hesse)

A station in thick fog, tracks that disappear into white mists and a figure, waiting. In between patches of mist a fox appears, looking for a scent in the wind. And then: bluster, shimmer, silence. And more fog. Views of nature merge with brief encounters. People living in their own worlds: an astronomer who, looking to the sky, would welcome the idea that we might not be alone in the universe. A musician hoping to meet the right woman one day. And a stableman for whom the world has always turned a little too fast. All are driven by their quiet longing to make contact, to not feel alone, to gaze into openness. Far from providing explanations, the film tries to help us perceive our inner hum, reaching out for an emptiness that cannot be grasped. In the end a clear view. The fox runs off, and we remain alone.

Source: 64. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)