Trains

“There is plenty of hope. An infinite amount of hope. But not for us.” Franz Kafka Hard-working hands, fashion shows and cannon fire, prosthetic hands, and in between, the bourgeoisie snack in the dining car. In this documentary film, consisting entirely of archive material, all the images are well composed. The motifs quickly develop a pull, and what we see becomes political: Hitler salutes and hundreds of thousands of soldiers traveling home or to the barracks by train. Deportations, documented attacks by the Luftwaffe. These are images of life and death, juxtaposed without judgment. They form an artful collage, reflecting 20th-century society and merging between the rails into a single story. (Daniela Graf)