Erbsen auf halb 6

This film (English title: Peas at 5:30) came to Minneapolis, MN as part of the Talk Cinema (talkcinema.com) series. Director Lars Buechel was in attendance. Essentially, it's a fairy tale about two blind people who fall in love. Exquisite visuals--a field of yellow flowers, red sculptures on a seashore, a gorgeous new setting of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," expansive city vistas--show us what the lead characters can't see. Brilliant sound editing lets us hear what they hear--rain making music in water glasses, wind blowing curtains. The opening montage is a knockout. Emotionally, the film is a roller-coaster--Buechel packs a lot of grief and tension and hilarity and hope into two hours. When you wonder why the characters never seem to eat, for example, and start thinking that certain events in the film are a bit of a stretch, remember that it is a fairy tale (Buechel's description) and suspend your disbelief. It's worth it for this sensuous and moving experience. Almost all of it was shot in Germany, with a bleak East Germany playing the role of Russia.