Thomas Arslan

Film by Wolfgang Schmidt.

Aus der Ferne is a personal travelogue, a documentary about a trip through Turkey. Thomas Arslan, who filmed the journey himself, undertook the trip in May/June 2005. The route takes him through Istanbul and Ankara to Gaziantep in the southeastern part of the country, from there further eastwards via Diyarbakir and Van to Dogubayazit near the Iranian border. The film describes moments during the journey that differ from the usual motifs that inform the image of present-day Turkey – from impressions of day-to-day life in such Western cities as Istanbul and Ankara all the way to regions in the country’s easternmost territory that were locked in battle until recently.

Time traveler Frank is picked up by Luise and Theo while on their way to Berlin. Frank wants to find author Laura Luna and take her to the future with him. Frank finds Laura and they become a couple, but Luise shows up and makes it a menage a trois.

The door slams shut behind him, the goal is clear: he urgently needs to pee. If only it weren’t for the others and the way they look at him. The noise, the pressure, the self-consciousness. A journey from the urinal to the cubicle.