From the East

Picking up the thread of "News from Home", the film she made 15 years ago, in "D'Est" Chantal Akerman sets off on a journey from Eastern Germany to Moscow that begins in the summer and ends in the depths of winter. In the course of this subjective journey she films "everything that moves her" and conveys images and sounds without comment. Static shots with people moving across them alternate with sweeping shots of urban landscapes, people and faces that develop an almost hypnotic effect on the viewer. The steady, slow rhythm of the film leaves room for a leisurely approach underscored with the howling of the icy wind, the drone of the cars as well as music. (Berlinale)