Das kleine Buch

An older couple sits on a curb, joking around like teenagers. The object of their shared amusement is a tiny book. In Friedl vom Gröller’s cinematic miniature Das kleine Buch ("The Little Book"), this scene from her 2009 work Passage Briare serves as the introduction to a charming eulogy to reading and analog culture. The filmmaker requires only two book objects, two teenagers, and a few slow shots. The first shows a girl visibly engrossed in one of the books. The shot would almost seem to be a freeze-frame, were it not for the typical 16mm film lighting effects: flickering, changing shadows, and lighting conditions. Next, a boy gazes intently at two works of art on the wall for several moments before sinking into the sofa, his face hidden behind the covers of an oversized book.
The fact that the girl also uses a corded telephone and a typewriter underscores the director’s call for digital detox in a tongue-in-cheek yet unambiguous way. (Christa Benzer)