Unter Schnee

The snowy landscapes that pass by the window of a train seem unreal and almost abstract. In the province of Echigo, in the far north of Japan, the snow is often meters-deep all the way into May. Over the centuries, the inhabitants have become accustomed. Ulrike Ottinger set off for this mythical land of snow to record their very own forms everyday life, festivals and religious rituals, taking two Kabuki theater actors with her. They are miraculously transformed by a beautiful vixen and from then on they move effortlessly, like a couple from the Edo period, through past and present and through mythical-mystical spheres and real worlds. (mg)