Köhlernächte
Robert Müller, Switzerland, 2017o
Wearing heavy rubber boots, Fränz Röösli climbs atop his charcoal pile and starts poking holes into what he calls the “Grind” – the “head” or dome of the pile, which reaches four meters above ground. White smoke rises from the holes, curling around the charcoal burner to the whims of the wind before it is carried off into the dark of night. The documentary “Köhlernächte” by Robert Müller draws the viewer into the archaic world of commercial charcoal burning in Switzerland’s Napf region.
Entlebuch is a region rich with ancient traditions. Robert Müller helps us discover the method of making charcoal from wood, a handcrafted method that is truly an art and a science at the same time. The emphasis on the transmission of this know-how works particularly well in this film. It is not only a question of keeping traditions alive, for it places man in a symbiotic relationship with nature: the charcoal-making becomes a very modern alternative for energy production, and not just a curiosity restricted to folk museums. Müller’s realist depiction of this regional phenomenon is joined with a poetic treatment of the images – also thanks to Pio Corradi’s splendid camerawork –, which are accompanied by the exceptional work on the sound and by Fritz Hauser’s inspiring music.
Giuseppe Di Salvatore
Filme über die archaische Urschweiz gibt es inzwischen ja einige. Diesen hier schaut man trotzdem gerne, denn er zeigt, was ist, statt zu verklären: Die Köhlerei als altes Handwerk, faszinierend, aber auch schlafraubend und so streng, dass die Männer derart drauflosfluchen, dass mancher Gangsterrapper blass würde.
Anna KappelerGalleryo
