Die Reise nach Kafiristan

In the late thirties, two Swiss women undertook a journey to Kafiristan, a valley to the north of Kabul. Their motives were different, although it was clear that both were fleeing in some way, not lastly for the fascism that had Europe in its grip. For Eva Maillart, the journey also had a scientific aim: she wanted to do ethnological research into the life of the nomads. Annemarie Schwarzenbach was a writer; she had just come out of a drugs clinic and wanted to discover herself. The lesbian Schwarzenbach made overtures to the scientist, but she wasn’t interested. Then she fell in love with the daughter of a dignitary.The Afghan landscape had to be found in Jordan and Uzbekistan, but the film still looks as if it were shot in impassable landscapes. The breathtaking shots of barren desert and historic locations make Die Reise nach Kafiristan a feast for the eyes. The film provides a beautiful picture of the era thanks to the stylish design from the thirties and the ladies’ attire, as they conquer the landscape in a small black veteran car. But the film is not just visually overwhelming, the acting is also stunning: restrained and cool by Nina Petri (Eva) and intense and hypnotic by Jeanette Hain (Annemarie).