Totem

Jessica Krummacher’s feature film "Totem" displays a surprisingly subtle visual realism, while its open dramaturgy, furious physical presence and subsequent avoidance of politically correct messages distinguish it from the mass of newgeneration German films. The director, author, editor and producer, together with her partner, Timo Müller, plans to develop more films outside of the arthouse mainstream in artistic tandem with their Berlin-based production company kLAPPbOXfILME in the coming years.

"Totem" is inspired by the authentic story of an eastern European home-help who committed suicide while living with a German family. In the form of a subjectively narrated prose text, the director develops an unusual perspective on the world as experienced by the protagonist; without a conventional screenplay, she consistently stages the inner world of this family constellation that lacks communication, paralyzed as it is within ritual. "I do not start out from filmic role models, I don’t find my subjects as a cineaste," says Jessica Krummacher in explanation of her approach: "I much prefer to observe people, but I am not terribly interested in the factual side, which was the focus of our study course. I consciously seek alienation, exaggeration and artificiality."

You won’t find calculable plotpoints, pleasing light design andclassical camera work in "Totem". Shot with a hand-held camera, mainly in interiors with notoriously weak light, it develops an oppressive atmosphere, in which the psychodrama of the exploited housemaid Fiona implodes under the egocentric family monsters. A pair of twin "Reborn" dolls, which Fiona takes care of like babies, indicate a taboo catastrophe in the life of the apathetic mother, but meanwhile the scurrilous nature of this hermetic world takes an ironic look at the family ideal of German middle-class culture.

In interviews 34-year-old Jessica Krummacher emphasizes: "I am a political person." Her parents, both part of the 1968 movement – her father now a professor of Political Science – conveyed the creative pleasure in reflection on social structures to her early on. "I am interested in how such structures condition human experiences."

The film’s central set is one of those characteristic homes owned by the population of the Ruhr region who became prosperous but are now being increasingly strapped financially by the crisis. "I grew up in Bochum, I know where I am there," the director says about her choice of this urban landscape otherwise sadly under represented in German author films. "I found my actors Marina Frenk and Benno Ifland at the Schauspielhaus
in Bochum. The rented, furnished house, a set that I found myself, where part of the team lived together for weeks, had its own special atmosphere, generating an oppressive mood. During the rehearsals that certainly challenged us."

"Totem" was developed without the fetters of a screenplay, with no predictable patterns of ideas. The focus was on improvisation work between the professional actors and the children. It was in the montage (with Heike Parplies) that the director first arrived at the compact form, whose effect was compared to horror elements by many critics. Despite her emphasis on team work, Jessica Krummacher regards herself as the leading mind behind the creative process. Her motivation to continue along this path: "The stories that I relate need to be told. But if you produce a film for a total of €30,000, you do want to get something out of it for yourself. Creativity together with others is a powerful experience, and that is worth a lot to me."

On the occasion of the "Totem" premiere at Venice in 2011, in conversation with Ed Meza, correspondent for "Variety", Jessica Krummacher commented critically on the situation for newgeneration filmmakers, contradicting the image of the widelyspread German film support system with rare openness. She and Timo Müller had applied for support for "Totem" and "Morschholz", but did not receive any. And so the two films were made without support budgets because, as the director emphasizes, the promotion of new-generation films is linked to television broadcasters and therefore restrictive, too interested in well-trodden paths to ensure viewing quotas.

The young filmmaker, who describes herself as a fool for figures, is well aware of the reverse side to the no-budget concept: in the long term and "from a political standpoint" she thinks it is unacceptable to finance the achievements of her team through self-exploitative deferred fees. "New-generation support needs to be more open and courageous": she is convinced of that. She registers with skepticism the mass of new-generation projects tending towards the mainstream because they are adapted and dressed down in the preparation phase. She also observes the situation of radical cultural change with concern, fearing that the audience for difficult
cinema films may fall away completely.

Her greatest dream is one of new production possibilities, new freedom for the cinema, a revolutionized world of television. In the meantime she is preparing her next feature film project, "Mordogan", a story about a German who owns a holiday home in Turkey, and his friend, a re-migrant from Germany back to Turkey – at least this time it is with support for the screenplay from Bavaria. More important than this, she has received the
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award for "Mordogan", which corresponds to €30,000 for the development of a co-production with Turkey.

In addition, she is working on the development and production of the documentary film "Der Rote Berg" by Timo Müller. This project is about a hermit who has been living in a cliff-face above a major state highway for twenty years now. The 62-year old man is convinced that he has found a city dating back 4,000 ears. Against all opposition, he is excavating the remains of this city.

Jessica Krummacher is determined that one day she will be able to make a living from her unusual, stimulating films.

Author: Claudia Lenssen