Gegenwart

While the loved ones of the deceased mourn and pull themselves together, at the crematorium the dead are taken care of. Using stylish shots, Heise records the activities between Christmas Eve and the New Year in this ordered German enterprise.
Without interviews or commentary, the long scenes show how advanced software programmes run the old-fashioned ovens, how employees push coffins through empty spaces and how equipment is maintained by technicians. In the meantime, a Christmas cake stands untouched on a desk. In the background, we always hear the humming of all kinds of machinery and there is very little talking. In solemn silence, an employee checks the deceased while another one puts ash in the grinding mill.
With a sharp eye for detail, Heise reveals a confrontational world devoid of any magic; a both alienating and comforting experience. In the style of Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Our Daily Bread), Heise shows what happens to us after we’ve died.