Jetzt oder morgen

Running on Empty
Lisa Weber accompanied her protagonist for more than three years. Claudia, who had her son when she was 15, now lives with him and her brother at her mother’s. The camera observes Claudia closely; whether she is waking up or going to bed, going through the ritual of brushing her teeth, smoking while staring at her mobile phone, or writing job applications – a seemingly pointless exercise without graduation certificate. “So much time and no life”, is how her brother sums it all up. Now and then, Weber breaks her purely observational stance by stepping into the frame to arrange objects or comfort Claudia when she’s sad. The vast sofa resembles an island on which everyone seems to have settled for the duration of their mostly uneventful lives. What options do you have when unemployment and social background hinder your chances of a different future? Claudia’s hopes seem to find their expression in the Whitney Houston-Mariah Carey ballad “When You Believe”, which can often be heard in the background. These moments speak of love and cohesion in a life seemingly dominated by a lack of prospects. A film about the passing of time, and about what goes on when nothing seems to be happening.
by Lisa Weber Austria 2020 German 89’ Colour Documentary form

Crew

Director Lisa Weber
Screenplay Roland Stöttinger, Lisa Weber
Cinematography Carolina Steinbrecher
Editing Roland Stöttinger
Sound Design Lenja Gathmann
Sound Mixing Alexander Koller
Sound Theda Schifferdecker
Script Adviser Severin Fiala
Colourist Dimitri Aschwanden
Producer Rudi Takacs
Co-Producer Ulrich Seidl
Co-Production Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion Wien

Produced by

Lisa Weber

Born in Vienna, Austria in 1990, she grew up between tomatoes and cucumbers in the family business. She later spent one or two happy semesters studying Slavonic studies at the University of Vienna before taking up a directing degree at the Film Academy Vienna.

Filmography

2010 Kommt ein Sonnenstrahl in die Tiefkühlabteilung und weicht alles auf (Sunray Hits Frozen-Food Department and Makes Everything Go Soft); short film 2011 Die und der von da und dort (He and She from Here and There); short film 2012 Twinni oder so (Some Twin Pop); short film 2013 Tanzen üben (Learning to Dance); short film 2014 Sitzfleisch (Steadiness) 2020 Jetzt oder morgen (Running on Empty); Panorama

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2020