Hot Docs

Das Block captures a reality particular to East Germany. Far above Sachsen Anhalt, the sky bears mute witness to the passage of history. Close-up, four residents of a drab concrete building in Gräfenhainichen tell their personal stories. The building connects these dramatically different, individual narratives. Hajo fears solitude and reveals that she has been terrorized, for years, by an anonymous caller. Silvio imagines a paternity test will restore some order to his disrupted family. Natalya relies on nature to guide and protect her. Olga sees her death approaching and longs to return home to her family in Russia. Filmmakers Stefan Kolbe and ChrisWright employ the sky as a background for the need to testify, as essential as the air for breathing, and as a leitmotif for truths that remain inexpressible.

“With every film they make, Kolbe and Wright explore and redefine the documentary genre. Here the camera tries to overcome (break?) the discrepancy between protagonist and filmmaker, life and art, by crawling into every wrinkle. There’s no space left, no protection, no opportunity to avert one’s eye from the brutal reality of those ‘losers’ in post-1989 Eastern Germany.” - Dr Grit Lemke, Head of Documentary Programme, DOK Leipzig