An affectionate, insightful and at times moving examination of memory and sight, Betula Pendula, world-premiering at Ji.hlava, follows Thomas Wellner (credited as co-director), who lost his sight at childhood, as he revisits childhood locations and starts to vividly recall moments, shapes, colours, smells and other memories from his past.
Despite losing his physical sight, Wellner retained his sight memory, and alongside co-director Lina Zacher he engages with the memories of his childhood places, the hues and shapes which he still vividly remembers.
The film opens with a simple shot of a bare room with two windows. “Let’s see,” the voice-over begins as Wellner uses whistles and knocks to gain a sense of the empty space. He asks to open the windows and asks if Zacher can see the silver birch trees he remembers so vividly from his childhood. The film’s title Betula Pendula is the scientific name for the silver birch.
Starting from descriptions of rooms and furniture, he delves deeper, into feelings, passions, hopes and frustrations. He clearly recalls the exact spatial dimensions of his family home and smilingly talks about the deep red he painted the attic room he moved into as a teenager or, as he recalls it, “my legendary red room”. He touches the stucco walls and describes them as feeling like braille.
The film astutely creates a visual and tactile style as it delves into the ability of perceiving invisible details, with Wellner questioning , along with filmmaker Zacher, to what extent one’s identity is created by images. Together they take bus journeys and debate whether one can understand oneself and one’s surroundings without actually seeing where one is?
Zacher cleverly makes use of light, dark and blurred sequences and allows Wellner to gently and engagingly examine his memories, and all the time their friendship shines through. When she asks him if there is something he dearly misses, he replies, “I miss seeing human faces.”
Germany, 2021, 40mins
Dirs Lina Zacher, Thomas Wellner
Producer Vahid Zarei
Cinematography Lina Zacher, Vahid Zarei
Editor Lina Zacher
