Photo Gallery A New Heimat Film from Edgar Reitz
German filmmaker Edgar Reitz, renowned for his "Heimat" television series, has created a prequel that is likely to polarize viewers. An experiment in slow motion, it forces the audience to confront the contrast with fast-paced modern life.
"Die andere Heimat" ("The Other Home") is a continuation of sorts of Reitz' massive trilogy, "Heimat -- Eine deutsche Chronik" ("Home - A German Chronicle), an 11-part series that was broadcast on TV in 1984. It was a great success, attracting up to 11 million viewers.
The German premier of the film on Sept. 28 also took place in the Hunsrück, the region where it is set.
The films have drawn attention to the Hunsrück, a relatively unknown rural area between the cities of Koblenz, Trier and Mainz. Nowadays, tourists travel to the Hunsrück because of "Heimat," which is why parts of the set for the new film in Gehlweiler, where it was shot, have been left standing. In fact, panels with explanations in different languages are currently being installed.
The new film, which opened in German theaters on Oct. 3, isn't just a continuation of the TV series. The series depicted the period from 1919 to the turn of the millennium, or much of the last century. "Die andere Heimat," however, takes place in the preceding century, in the year 1840. But the film still revolves around people in the Hunsrück.
Filmmaker Edgar Reitz, 80, received standing ovations for the film at the Venice Film Festival and was roundly praised in newspapers and blogs. But ordinary viewers may struggle to endure its slow pace.
The film derives its vitality from its images, but it also feels like a big, defiant gesture against the fast pace of modern times. It literally forces viewers to slow down. Reitz seems to be conducting an experiment, testing viewers' strength with time.
It's a four-hour film, even though the story itself is relatively straightforward.
It revolves around the Simon family, including the two sons, Jakob (shown) and Gustav, who both want to emigrate to Brazil. Entire cinema hours pass until one of them finally packs his things. This makes sense, because the film isn't about packing one's things, but about longing for another life and a different home.
Because Reitz wants to tell a story of ordinary people from a village, many of his actors are amateurs.
Even the leading man, Jan Dieter Schneider, who plays Jakob (shown here), is not a professional actor, and this is apparent.
Reitz justifies his decision to choose such a slow pace. "If cinema is to survive in the future, it will have to form an island in this world," he says. "One of the consequences of going to an island is that you remove yourself from the world to which you're accustomed."
