Review Journey around our world [NPO Start]

Director: Petra Lataster-Czisch, Peter Lataster | Time to play: 113 minutes | Year: 2022

From Wuhan to Amsterdam: a wave of great documentaries on the coronavirus, for example, that of Ai Weiwei Coronation by Steve McQueen the busy cityHe has tried in times past to explain how humanity has been shocked and changed by the pandemic. Documentarians Petra Lataster-Czisch and Peter Lataster take a different approach. During the lockdowns, the older couple records their own reduced world, in which little things like life become so big.

With extreme close-ups of insects and animals, accompanied by serene music, it opens Travel our world Like a nature documentary. But instead of David Attenborough, it’s Mark Rutte who functions as a voiceover to say that the Netherlands is going to be in lockdown. A backyard full of life turns out not only to be the backdrop to Petra and Peter’s wonderful world during the covid pandemic; the people who continue to exist around him and in him are at least as interesting. During a quiet moment, the two creators of the coexistence pick up their camera again and make the most of it.

The couple met at the Film Academy in 1976 and have been making documentaries together ever since. Their fights form the background noise for excellently shot images of everything that animates their little world: the adventures of a bee, the boy next door on the trampoline, a cafe with friends behind the webcam. The documentary flows as slow as time in 2020 going through all kinds of situations. With a skilful hand, simple actions such as washing up, making coffee and playing with Zoom are transformed into a despondent routine that everyone can recognize, who has also been locked up within four walls for many months.

With a duration of almost two hours, the emptiness of the days threatens to take over, but the story of an incurable friend forms a common thread throughout the months. Without the possibility of kissing, consoling or saying goodbye, the friends have to settle for a video call and a dinner a meter and a half away. Her friend’s vision of the remaining days of her life remains stubbornly optimistic, and as an ode to this unwavering woman, the documentary can only defend her attitude in a changing world.

For many, the corona period is a time that people prefer to ignore while reminiscing. But in Travel our world the creators manage to fish out beautiful moments from the past. An endearing conversation with a neighbor, a few laughs with your friends many miles away, a nest of magpies having trouble with the local crow. The thriving backyard gets plenty of screen time from the couple, showcasing their reappraisal of nature. In a whisper, they discuss a fight between a spider and a wasp, and smartphone footage from neighbors is enthusiastically included in the documentary about a growing bird.

Travel our world it is not just a documentation of everything worth knowing as of 2020, but above all of your experience. Petra and Peter’s concerns about the weather and their loved ones figure prominently, but even more so the beautiful moments they share with each other. The absurdity of isolation is once again palpable, while the horror of countless deaths seems normal. What makes all misery bearable is his tender vision of the world. It offers a surprisingly melancholic viewing experience, after which you as a viewer are not sure if you should miss this time or not.

Travel our world can be seen in Home NPO.