Three hikers meet shortly before climbing a mountain together. They discuss their expectations briefly in voice-over. It is not until fifteen minutes later that we see them – as unrecognisable dots on the landscape. They never lose this nullifying anonymity, neither do they speak again. The protagonist here is not the people setting out to climb the mountain, but rather the mountain itself. Valleys cloaked in powdery snow, eroded rock formations and majestic peaks are all depicted in crystal-clear black and white. Here it is man who has to adapt, picking a path step by tentative step, hoping that the mountain will not block the way.
Dated film footage of a rescue team suddenly interrupts the majestic flow of the silent landscape. A minimalist soundscape mixes wind, the buzzing of insects, rushing water and rolling thunder into a symphony of natural forces. Here, thoughts disappear and a connection to the earth is forged. BERG is a highly aesthetic landscape experience, with a spiritual charge.
Trailer
This content is available after accepting the marketing cookies.
Film details
- Country of production
- Netherlands
- Year
- 2021
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2021
- Length
- 79"
- Medium/Format
- DCP
You may also like this
-
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
Kier-La Janisse helps us understand our current cultural malaise through this essay on an enigmatic aspect of horror cinema.
-
Bright Future
-
-
Thomas der Hochspringer
Distinctively styled film about a lonely young athlete with an all-controlling mother. An exceptional German debut.
-
Bright Future
-
-
The Story of Southern Islet
In a Malaysian village, a fishmonger suffers from a mysterious illness. Is it black magic? Did he upset a god?
-
Bright Future
-