I, an archeologist
Director Maya Schweizer
Countries Germany
Duration 20 min
Synopsis
n Maya Schweizer’s film I, an archeologist shows a young archaeologist and a lighting technician rehearsing a guided tour through the historical Jewish catacombs of Rome. The archeologist’s presentation remains fragmentary and her narration is interspersed with directions to the technician, who provides only partial lighting. Throughout the film there is never a whole and entire image revealed, it seems as if Schweizer is consciously trying to avoid this. The film shows us that any understanding of history depends on the circumstances of its presentation. At one point the young archeologist unmasks her own role: I am an actress. The validity of her interpretation thus becomes less important than the far more general issue of how to experience truth in the context of the present and history, of how to narrate it.
n Maya Schweizer’s film I, an archeologist shows a young archaeologist and a lighting technician rehearsing a guided tour through the historical Jewish catacombs of Rome. The archeologist’s presentation remains fragmentary and her narration is interspersed with directions to the technician, who provides only partial lighting. Throughout the film there is never a whole and entire image revealed, it seems as if Schweizer is consciously trying to avoid this. The film shows us that any understanding of history depends on the circumstances of its presentation. At one point the young archeologist unmasks her own role: I am an actress. The validity of her interpretation thus becomes less important than the far more general issue of how to experience truth in the context of the present and history, of how to narrate it.