Imagine (film)

Movie
German title	Imagine
Original title	Imagine
Country of production	Poland , Portugal , France , United Kingdom
original language	English , French , Portuguese , German
Publishing year	2012
length	105 minutes
Age rating	FSK approval without age restriction
Rod
Director	Andrzej Jakimowski
script	Andrzej Jakimowski
production	François d'Artemare
music	Tomasz Gassowski
camera	Adam Bajerski
cut	Cesary Grzesiuk
occupation
	Edward Hogg : Ian; Alexandra Maria Lara : Eva; Melchior Derouet : Serrano; Francis Frappat : Doctor; João Lagarto : Brother Humberto; Teresa Madruga : Sister Maria;

Imagine is a feature film by Polish director Andrzej Jakimowski from 2012.

action

Ian, blind from birth, is a spatial orientation teacher. When he was appointed to an eye clinic in Lisbon, his unusual methods there caused concern for the clinic director, especially since he had previously experienced that one of his patients was hit by a tram and lost a leg. Ian refuses the white cane. Instead, it teaches spatial vision through reflected sound waves that are generated by clicking or clicking shoes. By stimulating their imagination, he gives his blind, mostly young, students a new approach to their environment. His orientation skills are so good that several unbelieving students accuse him of cheating and they test him several times with staged obstacles. The fact that he is obviously an alcoholic, sneaks out of the clinic in the evening and returns drunk, also makes it difficult for him to gain the trust of his fellow men. At the same time, he sees it as a challenge to get Eva, a blind woman of his age, who supposedly speaks to no one, enthusiastic about life again and maybe also about herself. Even if Ian ultimately fails to dispel the head doctor's distrust, his insistent efforts are gradually having an effect on the students, and he is also increasingly winning over the long-closed, shy Eva. His role remains questionable until the end, as he uses various little tricks to provoke the imagination of others. These tricks are repeatedly revealed and cast doubt on his honesty and his ability to orient himself. Until the end it remains uncertain whether the port he is talking about really exists in the city and the large ship that is supposedly anchored in it. Is he just an irresponsible impostor or a blind visionary?

production

The film was shot on locations around and in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon .

Attention was drawn to the 16 pupils, all of whom were depicted by amateur actors , who appear in different languages and who were all in front of the camera for the first time. In addition to the leading actors who are already known internationally, some other well-known actors, especially from French and Portuguese cinema, can be seen in supporting roles , including Teresa Madruga from Portugal and Melchior Derouet from France. Francis Frappat returned to Lisbon with this film, where he had already been in front of the camera in 1997 for Alain Tanner's adaptation of Antonio Tabucchi's novel Lisbon Requiem .

reception

Imagine is one of the relatively rare films dedicated to the world of the blind . In poetic language, the film depicts different people communicating with one another who cannot see. On the basis of the told story of a courageous and sensitive teacher, the viewer is introduced to the sensory world of blind people and their perception of the environment, which is associated with high intellectual performance. Light-hearted humor and a gentle romance are further essential components of the work, which is characterized by the unusually patient staging, which is characterized by atmospheric, beautiful images.

The film has been shown at various international film festivals, such as the Göteborg International Film Festival in January 2013. It was awarded prizes at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2012 and the Polish Gdynia Film Festival 2013. In Germany the film won in 2013 a. a. the audience awards of the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival and the Bavarian Five Lakes Film Festival .

After Imagine was first shown publicly on October 13, 2012 at the Warsaw International Film Festival, the film first opened in Polish cinemas on April 12, 2013. The film was released in France on October 23, 2013, and in Germany on January 2, 2014.