Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision (2013)
Director: Edgar Reitz
Country: Germany
Runtime: 225 min
Edgar Reitz's Home From Home: Chronicle Of A Vision is his latest
exploration of the fictional village of Schabbach, in the west German
region of Hunsrück, close to the Luxembourg border. Shot as a
feature-length film, he delves further back in time than the previous
chronicles, to focus on the family of a smithy in the mid-19th century. I
should admit at this point that I have not seen the previous outings by
Reitz, although this engrossing and well-realised instalment - which is
perfectly self-contained - has encouraged me to rectify that as soon as
I have 50 or so more hours to spare.
Key to the action is the family's second son Jakob (Jan Dieter
Schneider) a voracious book reader and dreamer, much to the chagrin of
his father, who believes in more earthly pursuits. Nevertheless, Jakob
skives off work in the blacksmith's as often as he dares to self-teach
himself the languages he believes are necessary - Portugese and native
South American among others - to put into action his long-term desire to
escape to Brazil. He is not alone, as Reitz offers a backdrop of small
town decline, with the Prussian autocracy and poverty leading many to
pack up and head out, despite the dangers that may lie ahead and in the
full knowledge that there will be no turning back.
It's situation which resonates with the illegal migratory patterns of
the modern era and is no doubt intended to remind European audiences,
who are generally seeing an anti-migratory rise of the political right,
of what it means to leave everything and go in search of a new life and
better circumstances.
Reitz and co-writer Gert Heidenreich define home as the bosom of
family, as an emotional shelter or storm, rather than simply the roof
over Jakob's head. His elder sister Lena (Melanie Fouche) represents how
it is possible to be a million emotional miles away from your clan even
when you live within striking distance, as she has become estranged
through marriage to a Catholic (Martin Schleimer). Her desire to
reconnect with her family offers an opposing force to Jakob's objective
of disengaginge with his old life in favour of a brave New World. He is
smart and articulate but also a naif, as evidenced by his flowery
voice-over, but his passions, however misguided, make him a compelling
presence.
The lengthy runtime allows Reitz and Heidenreich to spend time with
members of Jakob's extended family, including local lassies Jettchen
(Antonia Bill) and Florinchen (Philine Lembeck), although there is
sometimes a tendency to gloss over the more social realist aspects of
the plot - such as the deep bite of the feudal system - in favour of
romanticism. There are also signs of budget limitations, particularly in
two scenes where a doll has all-too-obviously been substituted for a
baby.
Reitz and cinematographer Gernot Roll, shoot in black and white, with
Roll's camera at its most free - like Jakob - in the rolling fields
around Schabbach. The decision to occasionally pick out items - a
horse's shoe, a wall - in colour is, presumably, intended to suggest the
echo of the modern found in the past, but it is more of a distraction
than a useful tool, providing little more than a guessing game as to
what will be highlighted next. The stunt casting of Werner Herzog in a
cameo role - although he is clearly enjoying himself - also feels like a
flourish too far in a film which is at its best when it is at its most
traditional.
