Lights From Afar

Looking for a truly independent filmmaker who's not just out to land a major-distributor deal? Helga Reidemeister is your gal. Her documentary Lights from Afar (Lichter aus dem Hintergrund) follows the fortunes of photographer and former East Berliner Robert Paris as he tries to make his way in the reunited city. First, though, we pan along endless Berlin construction sites; then we hear someone complaining that foreigners get all the construction work, and we learn that "people have lost something, love and respect for each other, because everybody is after more power, more money." Robert complains that Berliners aren't asked about what gets built. He hardly sees his friends because they're out chasing money. His family and friends, all artists of some sort, lament that nothing is done for the benefit of real Berliners. His friend Petra sums it up: "There are so many shitty parasites around."

There's some truth to the complaint that Berlin is becoming a commercial jungle, but instead of placing these interviews in the financial and historical context of German reunification, Reidemeister simply intersperses long stretches of dark, arty city scenes. Eventually Robert goes out to India and takes pictures; for 16 blessed minutes there's no kvetching, just visuals and the soundtrack (which sounds like Sonny Sharrock picking up a trombone and trying to cover Philip Glass). Then he's back and talking about Düsseldorf or Dortmund, but the truth is he could be unhappy anywhere. Catch this one now -- it's not going to get picked up by Miramax.

-- Jeffrey Gantz