Nemesis (2020 film)

Nemesis is a Swiss documentary by Thomas Imbach from 2020. It premiered in April 2020 in competition in Nyon Visions du Réel (online edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Nemesis
Directed byThomas Imbach
Produced byThomas Imbach,
Andrea Štaka, Flora Grolitsch
Narrated byMilan Peschel
Music byLukas Langenegger
CinematographyThomas Imbach
Edited byDavid Charap, Thomas Imbach
Release date
  • April 2020 (2020-04) (Visions du Réel)
Running time
132 minutes
CountrySwitzerland
LanguageGerman, English

Plot

Nemesis explores the destruction of a unique train station in Zurich, and the construction of a new prison and police centre in its place. From the perspective of the filmmaker’s window, and with testimony from prisoners awaiting deportation, the film probes how we deal with the extinction of history, and its replacement with total security.

Background

Nemesis was filmed exclusively from the filmmaker's window. Thomas Imbach's dismay at the agonizing death of the freight station prompts him to record the ongoing destruction, the years of standstill and the creation of the new concrete colossus, in order to compose a personal chronicle.

Reception

Jamie Lang, Variety: "As the train station crumbles beneath the metal jaws of an excavator, Imbach tells stories from his past and the impact the station has had on his own life. The heartbreaking tales of confused and scared prisoners, not convicted of any crime yet serving sometimes years-long sentences, accompany construction until the city is no longer visible behind the stories-tall behemoth."[1]

Susanne Gottlieb, Ubiquarian: "What will the building mean to them, he wonders. A place, so significant in inviting strangers into the city to trade and prosper, now repurposed to getting rid of them. The extinction of an important part of Swiss history in favor of more policing and security."[2]

Wendy Ide, Screen Daily: "In terms of its methodology, the film couldn’t be more timely. … Shot on handsome 35 mm, sometimes through telephoto lenses which bring an uncomfortable intimacy with the unwitting subjects, sometimes through wide shots which seem to extend to the edge of the city and beyond, the film looks a treat."[3]

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References
  1. Lang, Jamie (2020-04-15). "Thomas Imbach on Latest Doc 'Nemesis,' Shot Entirely From His Window". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  2. Gottlieb, Susanne (2020-05-12). "Review: Nemesis (2020)". ubiquarian. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  3. Ide, Wendy (April 28, 2020). "'Nemesis': Visions du Réel Review". Screen. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
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