Déjà vu

To what extent does a director stay objective and anonymously hidden behind the camera? The Danish director Jon Bang Carlsen knows for sure that the choices he makes in his films aren’t accidental. Several excerpts from his own work show that events in his personal life have a major influence on his work. In fact, he appears to be using images that he recognizes in particular. It’s a revelation for this filmmaker, who used to think he could stay objective and invisible. Topics such as doubting his faith, his runaway father and impressions from a carefree childhood are recurring themes in his diverse oeuvre. Showing us individual scenes, Carlsen comments in voice-over on the images and muses about his life and work. Like when he tells us that while filming a blind man, he was touched by the latter’s perception of the world, and he discovered that this fascination is mirrored in other films as well. In this autobiographical self-examination that spans over 40 films in several genres, the work of Carlsen is a moving photo album.