zero crossing

Shot and edited over a period of three days in March 2000, zero crossing comprises dialogs the filmmaker conducted with nine different persons of various ages. Either critical of or attacking the current government, they are attempts to express emotionally charged impressions in words.
The setting is quite simple and sparing. The conversations, rather than following a set pattern, are associative and permit surprising turns; at the same time, they are "endangered" by lengthy pauses and slight misunderstandings. Holzhausen does not play the part of the omniscient interviewer; these are conversations between equals. An increasingly obvious feeling of perplexity in the face of the current political situation becomes the film´s most important element. All of the figures have one thing in common, a feeling of helplessness and a sense that there is no way to effect change other than by joining the weekly protests. These Thursday processions serve as a pressure valve for pent-up emotions such as anger, anxiety and fear while fulfilling a social function at the same time: The participants are made aware of the fact that they belong to a unified community. "Walking is the answer," stated the writer Marlene Streeruwitz; "Saying nothing more than ´I don´t want it to be this way´ by walking, and ´I can´t stand it´. That it was all wrong. That everything must be discussed again".
The main question addressed by zero crossing is how to put the unbearable into words. This personal expression, which does not require political rhetoric, possibly offers a new opportunity for a political act.

(Dominik Kamalzadeh)


zero crossing presents 9 Austrians reflecting about the present political situation: about the Freedom Party‘s participation in the new government on 4. February 2000 as a threatening development in Austrian post war history; about the personal anxiety and indignation; about the lack of historical consciousness concerning the “Anschluss” of 1938 and about the question how things will develop in Austria, personally and politically.

(Navigator Film)