Echolot

A clique gathers in a house in the country to hold its own personal funeral ceremony for a friend who has committed suicide. It's not unusual for extreme situations to lure people out of their shells. In this case,the suicide prompts them to switch off for a while; this weekend at least, these young people are no longer thinking about tomorrow. Instead, they surrender entirely to the moment and give their feelings free reign. They dance, love, argue, drink, go for walks, or take naps. But they also remember their dead friend, who is present in all their thoughts and conversations. Athanasios Karanikolas' experience as a documentary filmmaker is more than evident in this fiction piece. He prefers toobserve his actors rather than direct them more overtly, giving them space to find their way into this state of farewell. While the improvised acting and mobile camera create immediacy, Karanikolas then observes things from a distance again, applying a layer of stylisation via the music and calling his actors up one by one to appear alone infront of the camera. In this way, concentrated moments of reflection alternate with the individual expressions of sadness each is entitled to.

details

  • Runtime

    77 min
  • Country

    Germany
  • Year of Presentation

    2013
  • Year of Production

    2013
  • Director

    Athanasios Karanikolas
  • Cast

    Aenne Schwarz, Lena Vogt, Nina Horvath, Julian Keck
  • Production Company

    Aenne Schwarz
  • Berlinale Section

    Forum
  • Berlinale Category

Biography Athanasios Karanikolas

Born on 3 September 1967 in Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied photography at the New School for Social Research and at Parsons School of Design, both in New york. He then studied video and media art at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf, as well as film direction at the university of Film and Television “Konrad Wolf ” in Potsdam. In 2007, he made his first feature-length film ELLI MAKRA, 42277 WUPPERTAL. Alongside his work as a filmmaker, Karanikolas also teaches at various universities as well as directing for the theatre.

Filmography Athanasios Karanikolas

2000 The Forest | 2001 S | 2003 Mein Erlöser | 2004 Deer | 2005 Best Worst Mistake | 2007 Elli Makra, 42277 Wuppertal | 2011 Khaima