GHL

The film is set at Vienna´s Gänsehäufel lido, which was built on the Danube in the 1950s. A male figure, his identity unknown, serves as a recurrent motif that leads the spectator to a variety of locations at this place, deserted during the off season. His reason for being there is never revealed, though he´s obviously going through some kind of crisis. The late-modern buildings are empty, relieved of their normal function; the area defies the low season. The protagonist incessantly attempts, and fails, to reach another unidentified individual on his mobile telephone—and loses himself in the space between the various buildings. The voiceover, apparently a phone conversation, gradually proves to be miscellaneous jumble of quotes from the fields of philosophy and economics. A string of empty phrases imply reflection on the global “crisis.” And in the end, everything remains the same.

Short Synopsis:
A deserted lido on the Danube in the off season, a man in a business suit who wanders around it, an apparent telephone conversation. Fragments of quotes can be heard, a series of empty phrases that turn out to be philosophical and economic commentary relating to the global economic crisis. Everyone seems to know what’s going wrong, but in the end nothing changes.


GHL is set at the shores of Gänsehäufel, a wooded fluvial island in Vienna used as recreational resort, built in the 50´s after the bombings of the Second World War. During the low season, an unknown male figure leads the viewer to different areas of this deserted place. It is evident that he is dealing with some sort of crisis, as he walks aimlessly amid modern buildings of late architecture. He fails in his attempt to establish communication with another individual through his cell phone, while the filmmaker sews the thread of her discourse using the perception of the viewer, who is led by the hand through the rhythm of the edition and sound. (Maximiliano Cruz)