Passion Despair

Passion Despair
Directed by Steff Gruber
Produced by Steff Gruber
Written by Steff Gruber
Starring Daniel Leuenberger
Romina Juravskaia
Olga Stepnova
Katja Neugodnikova
Ana Neugodnikova
Ana Nasushnaia
Larisa Sirbu
Luba Voitetcaia
Tamara Zaitseva
u.a.
Music by Jimmy Gelhaar
Cinematography Jürg Hassler
Steff Gruber
Edited by Steff Gruber
Release dates
  • 7 May 2011
Running time
 93 minutes
Language German
English
Russian
Romanian

Passion Despair is a documentary film by Swiss filmmaker Steff Gruber. Gruber started shooting in 2005. The film premiered at the Gdansk Dokfilm Festival 2011.[1]

Overview

Steff Gruber's documentary film portrays the Swiss Daniel, who lives in Moldova and specialises in photographing girls aged between 9 and 14.

Daniel has caused much controversy with the photos of his models which he sells via the internet. People accuse the photographer of immorality. These guardians of morals base their argument above all on the fact that the majority of his customers are paedophiles. Daniel too finds himself marginalised and pushed to the edge. In the film he talks about how he deals with forbidden feelings, about prejudice and about his work as a photographer of girls. The film raises questions of how images are used and their effects in a world increasingly dominated by the media.

In addition to Daniel’s work as a portrait photographer, the film concentrates on the daily struggle for survival of Moldovan families and life in the officially non-existent neighbouring state of Transnistria. The small state, in which half a million people live, is hermetically sealed off from the outside world. Police and secret service are omnipresent; any opposition is nipped in the bud.

The film shows how the mostly fatherless families in these two countries find ways to survive. In this society it must appear to be a matter of great fortune to marry someone like the Swiss Daniel. This is why Sveta is very happy when her daughter and Daniel marry. Her life was very hard. Her only goal today: her daughter Romina should have a better life, in safety and with dignity. However, things are not as simple as they appear.

Festivals

Gdansk DocFilm Festival 2011

References

  1. ↑ Gdansk DocFilm Festival http://gdanskdocfilm.pl/festival/archives/9-th-edition/?lang=en. Retrieved 24 February 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links