The protagonist (Gareth McGregor) sitting in front of the psychological ruins of his existence
and tries to remember back.
© studio 104a / Athanor Akademie
It is a trauma that must be overcome.
But on the road there is a travel companion who only seems to exist in one's mind.
This young man is on a journey in which the lines between reality and fiction
are blurred and acceptance ultimately prevails over repression.
Official Selection of »Dumbo Film Festival NYC«,
»Florence Film Awards«,
»Venice Film Awards«
and »Lift-Off-Festival Berlin«
Winner "Best Actor" at Florence Film Awards – Moritz Leon Tostmann.
But on the road there is a travel companion who only seems to exist in one's mind.
This young man is on a journey in which the lines between reality and fiction
are blurred and acceptance ultimately prevails over repression.
Official Selection of »Dumbo Film Festival NYC«,
»Florence Film Awards«,
»Venice Film Awards«
and »Lift-Off-Festival Berlin«
Winner "Best Actor" at Florence Film Awards – Moritz Leon Tostmann.
Fight between the two protagonists (Gareth McGregor & Moritz Tostmann). © studio 104a / Athanor Akademie
The sense of loss. © studio 104a / Athanor Akademie
Disappointment (Moritz Tostmann). © studio 104a / Athanor Akademie
Director Statement:
What happens to you, when guilt forces you to continually re-live horrible events you were a part of? What coping mechanisms does your psyche come up with to protect you from yourself?
Trying to understand this process was the idea behind the film.
I was particularly interested in the structure our brain uses to twist the reality of past events so that we may have a chance at living on.
The ability to forget plays a major role here: If we couldn't forget terrible events,
we would be completely inhibited and incapable of action.
But what happens if we refuse to forget or to accept;
if guilt forces us to keep every moment of a fatal event
as real and present in our minds as possible?
To show this inner conflict within oneself, the film follows a young man who has separated the part of his mind that wants to forget and personalized him as an imaginary friend.
He wages a hopeless battle against himself in order
to keep the construct alive that he himself built.
Trying to understand this process was the idea behind the film.
I was particularly interested in the structure our brain uses to twist the reality of past events so that we may have a chance at living on.
The ability to forget plays a major role here: If we couldn't forget terrible events,
we would be completely inhibited and incapable of action.
But what happens if we refuse to forget or to accept;
if guilt forces us to keep every moment of a fatal event
as real and present in our minds as possible?
To show this inner conflict within oneself, the film follows a young man who has separated the part of his mind that wants to forget and personalized him as an imaginary friend.
He wages a hopeless battle against himself in order
to keep the construct alive that he himself built.
Watch "As You Were" / "Weitfahren" on Vimeo.
Director: Henry Morten Oehlert
Editor, Sounddesgin: Luka Radovic
DoP: Benjamin Strobel
Main Cast: Gareth McGregor, Moritz Tostmann,
Sarah Plattner, Ronja Seyfried
Production: Athanor Akademie, Studio104a, BlindedbytheLights Films
Editor, Sounddesgin: Luka Radovic
DoP: Benjamin Strobel
Main Cast: Gareth McGregor, Moritz Tostmann,
Sarah Plattner, Ronja Seyfried
Production: Athanor Akademie, Studio104a, BlindedbytheLights Films
