Jesus, du weisst

In his latest documentary Seidl examines how the camera can function as a confessional box. He filmed six Catholics in different empty churches, where they pray to Jesus. Gradually, they expose their souls to the spectator. Like in all his films, these are lonely people, filmed at their most intimate moments. This time, they think they have found an anchor in the church. Seidl has chosen a sober, pure form by recording their stories with a camera on a tripod; stories full of inner sorrow that are actually intended only for Jesus’, their guide and saviour. A young woman is struggling with relationship problems, an elderly woman is treated as a drag on her family. A young man does not know how to handle the erotic elements he comes upon in the Bible. Still, Seidl manages to find humour even in these stern surroundings, but also asks the spectator to defer his prejudices against the church. The church may be an accursed institution, but to his eyes, the downhearted churchgoers are to be silently heard out. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)