Dreileben: One Minute of Darkness

A unique project arising from an extended email discussion about German cinema, genre and the aesthetics of film, Dreileben brings together the talents of three of Germany’s most significant filmmakers: Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf and Christoph Hochhäusler. Dreileben is a fictional small town, the setting for three loosely-linked stories all sparked by a single event, the escape of a convict from police custody. Each of the three films is true to the storytelling and cinematic style of its individual director, and while each has small, deftly handled moments of connection, these are never seen from the same viewpoint. While the films do work in isolation, there is certainly richness in viewing them together, so we will be screening them once in a single sitting, and again as separate performances. 

One Minute of Darkness

Christoph Hochhäusler (Milchwald; The City Below) brings Frank Molesch from the margins to the centre of the third film in the trilogy, and while he directs the convicted murderer’s story with characteristically cool
observation, the cat-and-mouse search is nonetheless gripping. Molesch’s escape is an opportunistic act, and once on the run he seems unsure where to go, hiding out in the woods that surround Dreileben. Meantime, an ageing veteran cop’s investigation comes closest to finding Molesch, but also throws doubt on the original conviction. With moments of dark humour, and surprising poignancy, the film reinforces the belief, common across all three films, that things are not always what they seem.