A couple stands before the difficult task of leading their mentally challenged son Jonas into adulthood. Due to the marital conflicts between the parents, Jonas looses track of what is right or wrong.

Interview with Writer/Director Seraina Scherini

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I was fascinated by the relations of guilt and innocence in the context of bringing up a child that has difficulty learning and processing in life.

And to raise the question of what human beings are capable and incapable of in terms of personal weakness.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film is about the fact, that humans are constantly trying and failing. And that every action comes with a price.

The moments of silence are the most intense. You can observe the characters thoughts and doubts and their disunity of personal will and responsibility. And there lays much hurtful truth.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I'm led by my personal interests and desires. And then I dig down to the bottom, to see if there is anything I can't let go. And then, the small things become the biggest.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The script was rough till the shooting. It was often criticized because motivations were unclear. But somehow, I thought that this must be the form to let space for the spectator's sense why things happen like this. My huge focus was on the decoupage and the work with actors, as well as letting an acting student play the role of a sensitive, irrational character was a big challenge.

At the shooting, I really got the material I had in mind. In the editing, I had to learn that the screen is also a hard-edged mirror of my doubts and insecurities regarding decisions.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

When I first screened the movie, there was a huge discussion about the ending. Some didn't understand it at all, some had the same idea as I had and some had other interpretations, which were super interesting to listen to.

All in all, most of them liked the consequent mood and the powerful acting of Severin Mauchle was mentioned several times - which I can completely agree.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Of course. For example, I didn't expect the ending being such a controversy. And it always referred to the plot. It was always an experiment of how much gaps can a spectator fill and where do I lose him/her.

But that's the funny thing about feedback, you wanna have it, but in the same way, you fear it. It's always exciting.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Aside from festivals, aspiring filmmakers need to have space to be recognized. For me, this is a great chance.

When I watch movies and something really catches me, I want to know who is behind the film and sharpen my perspective on cinema.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

The more people I reach, the better. But specifically, my main interest is in reaching distributors, festival director and journalists. In particular for my next film, my thesis short that I shot in July and will soon be in the editing room.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I never have one certain message I wanna thrash through the screen. That's not cinema for me.

I mean, we want to get manipulated, but where do we break someone's expectations? Cinema is Art, so the magic happens between the screen and the spectator.

After the movie, you start to think about what you have seen and maybe share it to prove what you have experienced, but this is a personal matter, too.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Concrete: There is a difference between knowing and understanding. What goes on in the boy's head, what means death for him. How far does he know what he is doing?

I think this is an interesting topic.

Would you like to add anything else?

I just wanna thank you for the opportunity and I really hope that one day, we can only talk about films being made and not always struggling with measurements of race and gender.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

In July I shot my thesis film Oh Mia bambina cara - a short film about a mother-daughter-relationship in terms of separation. I had the pleasure to work again with Simon Denzler, the same Director of Photography and Jimena Cugat, same Art Director with whom I will certainly do my next project, too.

But for now, with my editor, we are starting editing next week and I'm really excited about that.

Interview: August 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Simelibärg

Length: 13:50

Director: Seraina Scherini

Producer: Filippo Bonacci

Writer: Seraina Scherini

About the writer, director and producer:

SERAINA DOMENICA SCHERINI was born in 1993 in a small town in Switzerland with Italian Roots. She spent a lot of time with her father in the forest, observing Nature and Animals outside human influence. She started to look at the same way to human beings in relation to society and captured the seen in words an images.

FILIPPO BONACCI ist the producer of all the films being shot at the Zurich University of Arts. He is a producer for over 25 years and has experience in features as well as documentary and advertisement. He is a very direct and supportive Producer and has always been a huge brace for me.

Key cast: Severin Mauchle (Jonas), Evelyne Gugolz (Mother), Beat Brunner (Father)

Looking for: journalists, film festival directors

Facebook: Simelibärg

Hashtags used: #family #nature #death #innocence #guilt