Der Spatz im Kamin

The leaves rustle in the sunlit forest by the tranquil lake as Karen (Maren Eggert) wakes up in the morning in her childhood home, where she lives with her husband Markus (Andreas Döhler) and their children. The peaceful, idyllic atmosphere of these first few shots is soon disturbed by an arrival from outside and the barking of dogs, foreshadowing the turmoil that will follow. A visit from Karen’s sister Jule (Britta Hammelstein) and her family for Markus’ birthday will revive the siblings’ rivalry, bringing complex relations and buried traumas to the surface. In precisely choreographed scenes, where movements and dialogues oscillate between tenderness and cruelty, the Zürcher brothers (Ramon Zürcher directing and Silvan Zürcher producing) craft a psychological drama of muted, yet continually spiralling intensity, right up to the explosive and cathartic finale. The actors’ performances, led by Eggert, convey an anguish that never actually erupts, but rather remains in a state of suspension, between emotion and its impossible expression. Fantasy and dreamlike elements abound, often mediated by the presence of animals, as Karen gradually frees herself from the past, like the trapped sparrow that flutters out of the chimney of the house. (Nepheli Gambade)

In the presence of Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zürcher (producer).

AUDIO DESCRIPTION FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE
Audio description will be provided for the screening on Oct. 19th, 8:30pm at Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus. More info here.

Ramon Zürcher: DAS MERKWÜRDIGE KÄTZCHEN (2013), DAS MÄDCHEN UND DIE SPINNE (2021, KO-REGIE)