Distances
Director: Ulrich Seidl
Screenplay: Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Carl Schwert, in his late 50s, is interested in the misfortune of others. He organizes trips to the destinations of dark tourism. At these sites of suffering and death he feels alive. His life at home in Austria, however, is characterized by distance: his adult son Ben, for example, hasn’t left his room in years. When the young man finally gives free rein to his pent-up rage, Schwert’s world also threatens to fall apart. A film about loneliness and self-imposed isolation, about the fear of human intimacy – and the longing for it.
Carl Schwert, in his late 50s, is interested in the misfortune of others. He organizes trips to the destinations of dark tourism. At these sites of suffering and death he feels alive. His life at home in Austria, however, is characterized by distance: his adult son Ben, for example, hasn’t left his room in years. When the young man finally gives free rein to his pent-up rage, Schwert’s world also threatens to fall apart. A film about loneliness and self-imposed isolation, about the fear of human intimacy – and the longing for it.
