balance

"We are part of society", states 18-year-old Magda before a panorama of Vienna with the apartment buildings on the Donauinsel, also called Transdanubia, on the horizon. This complex is home to the daughters of immigrant parents whom Ruth Kaaserer and her camera accompanied through the urban space for six months. balance focuses on Ewa, Magda and Andrea, who talk about growing up, their friendship and their plans for independence in short scenes which show them walking through the apartment complex, along the Danube River and at various parks. Excerpts from these conversations are juxtaposed with clips in which the girls perform their own hip-hop numbers for the camera and shots of other female teenagers skating, playing basketball, strolling or talking; these scenes address the topic of how female subjects adapt to society, their private lives and public spaces. Edited to create a rhythmic and lively combination of documentary, feature film and art video, balance shows a process of speaking and performing between one´s own identity and the identity assigned by others, everyday life and performance, contemporary youth culture and the desire to create space for feminist ideas and the views of immigrants. On the basis of issues from her own youth, Ruth Kaaserer worked out the topics of the conversations and chose the locations together with her actresses. This scenario of mutual involvement, which is underlined by the dense sound and visual levels, concentrates the viewer´s attention on the characters and gives them significance (and powerful balance) in everyday urban life.

(Rike Frank)