Mein langsames Leben

Angela Schanelec, one of the most outspoken voices within German film-making, has developed a style in which everyday life fits in seamlessly with life on film. In her films, the acting is so natural that one could hardly even call it acting and an extremely modest camera seems to register life on film almost in a matter-of-fact way.The title of Mein langsames Leben says something both about the theme as the way in which the film is made: it is a meticulous observation of several apparently inconspicuous lives. The English title, Passing Summer, indicates that the film was set during the summer, when life apparently continues smoothly. The French title, finally, Sophie est partie pour six mois, makes the endless summer even longer and indicates that the real protagonist is almost absent: Sophie left at the start of the film only to return at the end. She left behind Valerie, who spent the summer in Berlin. The film describes what happened during Sophie’s absence: Valerie fell in love, Marie and Alexander went on holiday, Marie got married, Valerie’s father died, Marie was pregnant again, Thomas went to Paris and Linda sat and cried in front of the museum of modern art.Schanelec wants to look at life from without. She wants to maintain her distance. Not to intervene, but watch. She creates cinematographic warmth with cool means.