Presented as part of the Short Film Programme of the 6th Filmfest Bremen, Director Jonas Riemer’s The One Who Crossed The Sea is a riveting visual poem on a migrant’s singular life trajectory.
The 2021 Filmfest Bremen is currently in full swing, from April 14th to 18th. With over 250 short and feature films, panels and interviews available to online audiences, the Germany-based festival offers an impressive selection of films, among which we have spotted a captivating and poetic short film, directed by Jonas Riemer. The One Who Crossed The Sea (original title: Der übers Meer kam) is a short animated documentary that tells the story of a GDR refugee (from the German Democratic Republic, ie. from East Germany) who ends up joining the New Right. In a folding boat, he flees via Denmark to Western Germany, where the story tips into the dark. His newly acquired freedom turns into disorientation. Only in a burgeoning nationalist movement does he find a new home.
Narrated in voice over, the film offers the testimonial of a refugee from East Germany who one day decides to set off to migrate to Western Germany, anchored by outstanding animated sequences. In a poetic black and white style, the animation uses almost only top shots, showing the main character from afar. This approach makes it clear that the director’s goal is not to give a very distinct face to his character, but rather to craft a universal story. He could be anyone. He could be any migrant. And lots of migrants have a similar story. The fact that the character is shown from distance is also a way to show how small one human, and in this case, one migrant, is, in the world. When, in the first minutes of the film, we see the character trying to escape East Germany at night, it’s like watching an ant trying to make its way without being caught.
Here, the realistic and accurate sound design is another tremendous asset to the film and makes the testimonial even more captivating and immersive. We feel the risk taken by the character, putting his like at stake to make his way to Western Germany.
The film then becomes more surprising when we discover that after managing to make it to Western Germany, the character ends up disillusioned and has a hard time finding his place in this new world, with no strong identity, to his eyes, to the point that he ends up finding a new reason for his life by joining a political movement fighting against mass immigration.
One feels astonished and puzzled when realizing the evolution of the character’s mindset. This same person who risked his life to cross the border. This same person who acknowledges that “nobody leaved his home country for the sake of it”.
And this is probably where 11 minutes feel a bit short for the film to be able to explain such an apparently paradoxical situation. In this regard, the film still invites more questions about the character’s psychological development than it answers, which, also, may turn the film into an interesting starting point for public debate.
At least, what’s clear in the end is that the choice of a black and white animation appears even more relevant when considering how binary the character’s view of the world seems, juxtaposing right and wrong.
Overall, The One Who Crossed The Sea is a visually stunning short documentary that tells a surprising story and may be great at igniting discussions about important topics such as inclusion, identity and belonging.
