K.364 A Journey by Train

Two classically schooled musicians travel by train from Berlin to Warsaw. They are the Israeli violist Avri Levitan and violinist Roi Shiloah, both of Polish origin, and they are going to a performance of Mozart's \i Sinfonia Concertante\i0 \i for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat Major, K.364.\i0 The journey brings back memories of Holocaust stories they heard from their Polish-born grandparents and their eventual immigration to Israel. Their train follows the same tracks as those used to transport their family members to the death camps. They pass through Poznan, where the former synagogue is still standing but now houses a swimming pool. Filmed in extreme close-ups, the two musician friends talk about music and their shared experiences. Meanwhile, the train steadily races along. The journey is captured in poetically composed shots of railroad tracks, overhead wires, blurred train stations and colorful lights. Ultimately, the film culminates in the integral performance of the Mozart symphony, filmed in split-screen and played with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio. The camera doesn't only capture the individual musicians, but also their interaction, revealing a deeply rooted friendship and a shared tragic past in the process.