When I Went to Visit the Boys

“When I shot my first film, Szenen meiner Ehe, I was teaching at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Using my mobile phone, I had recorded scenes from my own life to discuss with my students the responsibility we have as documentarians when we ‘invade’ the lives of others with our cameras and use the material in our films. I wanted to experience this for myself. In doing so, I overwhelmed myself and pushed my own boundaries. At the same time, it motivated me to make the next film.

With the film Besuch im Bubenland, I wanted to expand my ‘research area’ since I grew up in a household of only women. South of the Raab River, where I had lived for several years, I went in search of men whose families have been settled here for generations.

Filming was not only a new challenge for the protagonists, but also for me, as I intruded into their everyday lives as a stranger. I wanted to learn about their way of life and engage in personal conversations with them. My initial question was simple: How are you?

I filmed again with my mobile phone, without a team – moments, in which thinking and reflecting become visible.”

Katrin Schlösser