Afternoon, Angela Schanelec, Germany, 2007, 97 min, 35 mm Subtitles in English.
Irene, a theatre actress, returns to her house on the lake after a long absence. Her brother, Alex, and her son, Konstantin, are living there. It is summer and it is hot. Konstantin’s girlfriend, Agnes, who spends the holidays with her family in the house next door, comes to visit him. Konstantin and Agnes have grown up together. Agnes is studying, while Konstantin writes, having never left the house by the lake. When they meet again, nothing is the same, and every doubt is mercilessly exposed. Irene enters in the midst of this confusion. The story between mother and son repeats itself once again, ironic and aggressive, like a fruitless struggle for recognition. The relationship is not over, but the loss is unbearable.
Irene comforts her lover. Konstantin is beside himself. But Agnes seems to appreciate the presence of this lover, who eases her heart. He brings her some sense of liberation and she begins to forget Konstantin. In the end, mother and son are alone. Only a few hours have passed, compared to a lifetime before. It is not as hot, and you can feel the wind. The main characters of Chekhov’s “The Seagull” are presented here, today, on three beautiful and terrible summer afternoons.
Source: 57. Berlin International Film Festival (catalogue).
Irene, a theatre actress, returns to her house on the lake after a long absence.