Garden

It seems to be an intermediate world of peace and quiet, the garden and country house where four people look back on testing lives. And forward, to the time they have left. On the one hand, there is regret – on the other, satisfaction. In a way, they are looking forward to the future – but at the same time, a longing for death regularly arises. And who is actually behind the camera? Are we watching actors or real people? Is there really any difference? Garten is full of contradictions – it is not until the credits roll that we realise who these people from very different backgrounds are. In the meantime, Austrian director Peter Schreiner lulls the audience with the sound of crickets and bells, and above all with the black-and-white compositions which, thanks to the high contrast, come across with intoxicating beauty. Hypnotically calm, the camera glides past musings, quarrels and dreams. A deep dive into lonely, torn lives, in which time seems to have frozen. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)