½ Mensch

Free Admission

Blixa Bargeld (of "Einstürzende Neubauten") approached ISHII at the Berlinale. He had just seen The Family with the Reversed Jet Engine in the cinema and was thrilled. In 1985, they would be performing in Tokyo, and he asked if ISHII would like to make a film about it. What began as a staged performance evolved into a music video, then a documentary, followed by live concert footage, and back again! The culmination is a soundcheck and an actual live performance at the "Kōrakuen Hall" in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Most of the action takes place in the ruins of the NAKAMATSU Iron Works. Flesh and metal. Hands and TV sets. A scrapyard. Butoh dancers. Color and black-and-white. The original film material is considered lost. "Einstürzende Neubauten" perform (we are showing a rare DVD) tracks such as Armenia, Sehnsucht, Abfackeln!, and Der Tod ist ein Dandy. Dancing is encouraged!

– Claudia Siefen-Leitich