You look away bashfully when you see the belongings of a person who lives outside. The confrontation with the very thin, unprotected membrane wthout walls surrounding those without a permanent residence as they go about their day can trigger many different emotions. A fear of “ending up“ like that too, pity, aggression, arrogance, the impulse to suppress.

Johanna Sunder-Plassmann and Tama Tobias-Mach have dealt with the ethical and conceptual layers of portraying four men without a permanent place in an exacting way. They chose to build a set for each protagonist wherein their possessions become props. They are embued with their own inner life that way and develop an almost spectral existence. The heart pillow that Elvis received from his great love who died too young has 40 years worth of yearning, a photo showing Peter as a young carneval prince contain countless hours of memory. Filled with stories, the few belongings, capturing with compassion and precise image composition by Sophie Maintigneux, almost say more about the owners than they do themselves. The objects seem to be illuminated and are sending off signals. The directors listen to it of course. We hear about broken families, the tough survival on the streets, drugs and prostitution, shattered dreams consisting of quick money and lost love. They never expose the people in front of the camera. Just the opposite: the staging gives them their personal space back. You sense that living outside is a conscious choice, besides fate. Courage and the ability to trust yourself is also necessary.

Susanne Kim

Translation: Elinor Lewy