GHOSTLAND
12:30 2:20 4:15 6:10 8:00 9:45
Final Day - Tuesday, December 27
PRODUCED, DIRECTED, AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMON STADLER
Ever since de Tocqueville travelled through the US in the 19th century and described it with fresh eyes, outsiders continue to surprise with their bold insights – and the Bushmen do not disappoint. These ancient nomads, living in Namibia’s vast Kalahari desert, were hunter-gatherers until killing animals became illegal in 1990. Still living in huts with thatch roofs, they now survive by entertaining Western tourists and selling them trinkets. When a German anthropologist shows up and offers to accompany a small group to Europe, the tables are turned in fascinating ways. They are immediately struck by the impersonal nature of great cities, the shock of poverty among so much affluence, the abundance of both food and water, and the fact that “the Germans are so big and loud.” For the most part, they remain non-judgmental, even sympathetic to what they see as Western people’s failings: “Sometimes the white people are crazy. They want too much and work too much, and it seems they never sleep.” Simon Stadler’s GHOSTLAND says both funny and sad things about the West. But most of all, it speaks to those characteristics of human nature that defy geography, time, and culture.
GERMANY • 2016 • 84 MINS • IN ENGLISH AND JU/’HOAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES • CARGO FILM & RELEASING
Reviews
“Critic’s pick! EXTRAORDINARY. Endearing and powerful. A mirror for Westerners to view themselves from angles both fresh and uncomfortable. It’s the closest most of us will get to spending time with fellow humans who have extraordinary perspectives on ordinary things.”
– Daphne Howland, Village Voice
“An engaging movie.”
– Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
“An insightful chronicle. A meditation on the emptiness technology has brought to our lives.”
– Jose Solis, Stage Buddy
“Endearing and open-handed. [The Ju/’Hoansi Bushmen’s] remarks on modern life, and their own struggles to survive and flourish make for fascinating, insightful, and often amusing anecdotal ruminations. The culture clash is equal parts comedy and tragedy, but never is it anything less than compelling.”
– Shane Scott-Travis, Taste of Cinema
“Transitions from watching people survive in a bleak world we might not understand, to an observation of how we live and how ludicrous some of our societal traditions are.”
– Meredith McLean, The Iris