Überall ist es besser wo wir nicht sind

n the late 1980s, neither New York nor West Berlin was the sought-after hotspot it is today. But despite the vacant lots, ruins, and decaying streets, they both represented places of yearning for stranded people and fortune-seekers of all kinds. In ÜBERALL IST ES BESSER WO WIR NICHT SIND (Michael Klier, FRG 1989), Miroslaw Baka, who shortly before had left an unforgettable impression in Krysztof Kieslowski's A Short Film About Killing, walks through the cityscape as if in a Jim Jarmusch film. In the role of Jerzy, he dreams of a better life away from the ruins of the socialist system that he has escaped. In Berlin, he meets Ewa, who like him, makes a living doing odd jobs and dreams of America. Michael Klier's 1989 film captured the vibe of West Berlin, a city that was both dreary and open to everything, just before the fall of the Wall. (Anke Hahn)