Documentary portrait of 86-year-old Svetlana Geier, originally Ukrainian, who dedicated her life to translating Russian literature into German. The reason was, as she says herself, to pay off her debts to Germany – a debt she saddled herself with during World War II. For the last 20 years, she has concentrated on the five great novels – ‘the five elephants’ – by Dostoevsky.
The film juxtaposes her meticulous intellectual effort, which she carries out with several retired friends, with Geier’s everyday activities in and around the house: peeling apples, making tea and receiving the children and grandchildren. When she is invited to be a guest lecturer in Kiev, she returns to her home soil for the first time in 56 years.
Nominated for Best Documentary during the European Film Awards last December.
Film details
- Countries of production
- Germany, Switzerland
- Year
- 2009
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2010
- Length
- 93"
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
You may also like this
-
Once Upon a Time Proletarian
Portrait of post-Maoist China in twelve commentaries by inhabitants of the country. Writer/film maker Guo Xialolu sketches a varied picture of a Ch
-
At the End of Daybreak
TV news report about two murdered girls form the source of inspiration for this crime drama by Ho Yuhang, who has previously been to Rotterdam with
