„Die Ruhe bleibt“ –
„Remains Quiet“
by Stefan Kriekhaus
(Germany 2013, 24 minutes)
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Somewhere in the French countryside a film is shot. We don’t see what the film is about, we only see the trainee. His task is to block the road and stop noisy vehicles during the shooting. The only connection to the crew is the walkie talkie. Birds are singing, crickets are chirping, the wind is blowing, you see the nearby mountains, a rural road and bushes. It’s quiet, no one passes, and the trainee is bored to death. His only distraction is the voice of the director in his ear. “Is Sophie ready?” “Has anybody seen Mira?” “Block the road.” “Cut.”. The trainee is disappointed. He feels used. Once, one of the actors joins for a cigarette, but is called away for shooting two minutes later. The trainee’s attempts to do something else were refused: “No, we need you where you are”.
Thank God a framer on a tractor comes by. He has to be stopped, because his tractor makes too much noise. “What’s the movie about?” he wants to know. The trainee who doesn’t speak French and knows nothing about the movie at all says something about the Nazi and resistance to keep the driver friendly while he is waiting. Soon after the farmer drives away, the trainee sees the white production cars drive away. They have forgotten him! They forgot to tell him that the shooting is over and they didn’t pick him up. Without a single cut director Stefan Kriekhaus (44) follows the trainee in this quiet comedy about the trainee generation. They are full of joy to participate, but they are treated like shit and they can’t do anything about it.
Berlinale Shorts 