Interview with the Director Christian Moris Müller


What is behind VIER FENSTER?

I wanted to look into the question of what family really means. On the one hand it's a place of love and devotion and on the other one of abuse. I'm thinking of abuse of power structures. I wanted to observe the family that you occasionally meet in lifts and that you don't normally learn much more about than what's on the surface. I have tried to describe this surface very precisely and to ask about the relationships that are below that surface.
Lastly it's also about the longing for love and the longing to be touched. In the family there are firm structures within which everyone uses certain strategies in order to get love. Very often the very image of love is enough. We're constantly creating these pictures of love. Actually I only examine this surface: the image of the happy family that is consistently honoured.


How did it come to this unusual narrative structure?

At the beginning there was the story of the son that I wanted to make as a short film. While writing this I realised that I was increasingly fascinated by the character of the mother. The relationship between the two became important. So I wrote down her story as well. She always talks about her husband who never appears. I found this exciting. What kind of life does he lead, away from his wife and son? With the daughter's story everything then fitted together like a puzzle. It became a film about the relationships between the people. I wanted to show family as a complex system in which one can't be described without describing the other. The power structures within the family are too entangled and expectations too high.


How is your work with the actors?

The work with the actors begins with the casting. For me it's very important to find people I can develop something with.
A technical approach can often be surprisingly helpful. When does a character stand up? When do the people look at each other? How are they arranged with regard to each other and to space? How long do moments of silence last? When does a figure breathe, and when does he/she stop breathing? I see these exterior events as a framework along which the actors find their way. Within this system they can move completely freely. I very much enjoy working on the rhythm of a scene. When a few bars have been clarified the others come about of their own accord.
The most wonderful moment is when I notice that I have found the right language for each of the actors. This language is like a key that forever leads you into new rooms. This is when the shooting become a journey of discovery.


What brought you together with cameraman Jürgen Jürges?

I looked for him in the telephone book, called him and asked him if I could send him my script. One day later he called me back and said that he wanted to do the film. It was an awesome experience for someone to agree without even having made sure what the conditions of production are but instead allowing his decision to depend entirely on the script. Jürgen enquires precisely what story you want to tell. His images are the answer to these questions. The two of us have an kinship in visual language.


How would you describe the pictorial design of VIER FENSTER?

It's a very direct visual language, focussed precisely on what's important. I made a decision for long shots that were not cut in order stay with the characters for as long as possible. I have a problem with too frequent cutting. The viewer forever has to concentrate on a new picture and a new rhythm. This has a scattering effect and destroys the moment. Apart from that, it's a visual language that takes very carefully into consideration: what can I see and what can't I see? We often filmed people who reacted and less often those who acted. In listening faces there is often more to be read than in those that are talking. This has to do with our behaviour as humans. The moment we speak we take on a particular poise and begin to play a role. The direct reaction to this is more immediate and true.


Does VIER FENSTER have a happy ending?

Looking at it formally, the end is left open. But there is also a small prospect of change. It was important for me to recount this. The relationship between the mother and son for me is the most hopeful. Between the brother and sister there isn't this existential dependence that there is between parents or between parents and children. Then there is the possibility to initiate a dialogue. The end tells of two people who start talking. For me that is the start of the change.

Download Interview