Glossary of Broken Dreams is a 2018 Austrian/American documentary film directed by Johannes Grenzfurthner. The essayistic feature film tries to present an overview of political concepts such as freedom, privacy, identity, resistance, etc.Official trailer posted by monochrom on YouTube
Grenzfurthner calls his project an "ideotaining cinematic revue" about political ideas he considers important. Grenzfurthner cites frustration about the current level of political debate as a primary influence for making the film. He couldn't tolerate "ignorant and topically abusive comments on the 'Internet' anymore." So he teamed up with writer and activist Ishan Raval to "explain, re-evaluate, and sometimes sacrifice political golden calves of discourse."Glossary of Broken Dreams at Diagonale Film Festival
The film features performances by Amber Benson, Max Grodenchik, Jason Scott Sadofsky and others.
The film was produced by art group monochrom.
Concept Johannes Grenzfurthner, who defines himself as a 'lumpennerd' in the film's intro, functions as a storyteller and host who guides the viewer through the narrative. Glossary of Broken Dreams does not make use of classic documentary-style interviews and aesthetics. Instead, the film presents different political and philosophical concepts in the form of short films and essayistic chapters featuring fictional characters. These bizarre and exaggerated charactersZebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018 are performed by actors, voice performers and musicians (for example FM4's Hannes Duscher and Roland GratzerFM4, Morningshow, interview about 25 years of art group monochrom). The film can be seen in the tradition of reflexive documentary films and performative documentary films.Zebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018
In an interview with Film Threat, Grenzfurthner describes his project as follows:
It's a peculiar film for nerds of a peculiar set of interests, but at the same time it's talking about topics that are so goddamn important that more people should know about it. I guess that's why I made it. No idea if there is even a target audience for it, but one can try. There is a lot to process. And cat meme drunk masses will probably not even scratch the surface. But my idea was: better to challenge the audience than to dumb it down.Film Threat, "Glossary of Broken Dreams"; March 28, 2018
The film incorporates art and illustrations by Bonni Rambatan,Bonni Rambatan, NaoBun blog: "Our four amazing achievements of 2017"; December 31, 2017 Matt J. Frith, James Brothwell, Clemens Kindermann, Stevyn Prothero and Steve Reeder in a variety of different cinematic styles. The film thus works as a fast-paced collage, utilizing a singer-songwriter duo, puppet shows, LucasArts-style pixel animation, Japanese anime, live action sequences and stock footage.The Independent Critic, "Glossary of Broken Dreams" Gets Set for North American Premiere in Bernieland"; April 1, 2018Indie Shorts Mag, "Glossary of Broken Dreams Is The Sad Reality Of Today’s Internet Generation"; April 11, 2018
Glossary of Broken Dreams can be considered a loose follow-up of Grenzfurthner's first documentary feature Traceroute, but expanding his critique of capitalist (nerd) culture.FM4, Morningshow, interview about 25 years of art group monochrom
The film was produced by Günther Friesinger and Johannes Grenzfurthner, with Michael McEnroe acting as an associate producer.
Austrian and German media personalities such as Stefanie Sargnagel, Gerald Votava, Peter Hörmanseder, Katharina Stemberger and Jolyne Schlien Schürmann make cameo appearances in the film.Zebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018
Chapters
Capitalism/Market/Freedom With Stuart Freeman (as Brian Ewok) and Conny Lee (as Madame Juju) An introduction to the basic ruleset of capitalist society and its historical formation.
Competition With Harald Homolka List (as Hans Platzgaumer) and Bronwynn Mertz-Penzinger (as Platzgaumer's Cerebral Cortex) An analysis of the pros and cons of competitive systems (like capitalism and biological evolution).
Accumulation With Johannes Grenzfurthner (as Doktor Ullmaier) and Alexander E. Fennon (as bank clerk) This section demonstrates accumulation of capital in an ironic way by squandering 50 euros in a money exchange office.
Resistance/Activism With Johannes Grenzfurthner (as Frau Schlammpeitzinger) and Robert Stachel (as Waiter Walter Peckinpah) A story about the ongoing shift in Western societies from a disciplinary society to a society of control and how this affects subversion in art, politics and activism.
The Media With Amber Benson (as Pfefferkarree McCormick) and Michael J. Epstein (as DeForest Schbeibi) An analysis of the function of media in liberal societies (including freedom of speech, fake news and other concepts)
Privacy/Data With Achmed Abdel-Salam (as Modern Subject) and Jim Libby (as Information Gaze) This section delves into the co-evolution of privacy as a social value and the bourgeois economy, and critiques the current emphasis on privacy as failing to address underlying dominations in society. It introduces the idea, explored later in the film ("The Left"), of how computation and information could be liberatory under different property relations.
Nature Vs Nurture With David Fine (as Pansexual German Paratrooper) This story of a chimpanzee debates social conditioning.
Politics/Identity With Andrea Nitsche (as Dr. Bulletpoint von Sganarelle) and Michael Smulik (as Politics) A critique of the preponderance of politics today, predicated on identity, in contrast to a universalist approach to politics.
Democracy/Social Democracy With Jeff Ricketts (as President Ödem von Horvath), Max Grodénchik (as Biological Male) and Kudra Owens (as Biological Female The section questions the viability of social democracy in a globalized and financialized post-Fordist economy.
The Left With Martin Auer (as Professor Alain Xavior Schnürlsamt), Johannes Grenzfurthner (as Harnulf Rohrkrepierer), David Dempsey (as Sven Shitpornson), Anna Behne (as Lady Unsquaredance), Jason Scott Sadofsky (as Billy Bob Turingengine) and Franz Ablinger (as Sailor Dieselfink) Looking at the Left's inability to think or move past twentieth-century tactics, affects and campaigns, this section questions, ultimately, whether the correct course of action today might just be to give up on the Left, and try something better, more attuned to the possibilities and needs of the times.
Production
Process I just thought it was time for something like a political spring cleaning of concepts. Because picking up the broom and taking a chance to get rid of stuff is the only way to prevent us all from becoming social liberal hoarders. One of my examples is the concept of privacy that, at the moment, everyone coddles like a puppy. Let me say this, as a good old Neo-leftist, I'm having problems with the conservative and deeply bourgeois can of worms that the privacy debate entails. I think it's time to change our thought patterns here. Instead of trying to find ways to defend our privacy come hell or high water, we should ask ourselves why privacy is such a major concern for us? Is what we're trying to achieve here just reformist symptom-control rather than a solution to the underlying problems? — Johannes Grenzfurthner about his motivations to create the film The basic script was written by Johannes Grenzfurthner and Ishan Raval, supported by language consultant Chris S. Sims.
Due to the fast production process, the different chapters were written while other parts were already being shot and edited. Final decisions about length and content were made in the editing room.
On the basis of [the theoretical texts], I went on to develop the characters and the plot of the movie and started filming with the actors. At the same time, I was cutting scenes that were finished and started to put the movie timeline together. Everything was happening simultaneously. Compiling, writing, filming, cutting. And sometimes not even in this order. It felt like creating a jigsaw puzzle and trying to solve it at the same time. But in a short time – the production took about 5 months – it was doable without losing track completely.
Principal photography commenced August 4, 2017, and ended November 14, 2017. The film was completed on January 2, 2018.
With a budget of US$15,000, the film can be considered microfilmmaking and guerrilla filmmaking. In an interview with futurezone,futurezone, "Digitales Politisieren erlebt eine Renaissance"; March 15, 2018 Grenzfurthner called the making of the film an ongoing process of "radical DIY". He worked with different teams of people on different chapters,Zebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018 for example LA-based filmmakers Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein, who were visiting Vienna for an art residency with monochrom at Museumsquartier.Museumsquartier/Quartier21 AiR programme, Sophia Cacciola & Michael J. EpsteinSophia Cacciola & Michael J. Epstein, "Vienna Round-Up! Our adventures in Austria in November"; January 17, 2018
The film's main language is English, but features various musical interludes by Duscher&Gratzer and other music groups, performed in German.
Sound design Daniel Hasibar created the sound design and audioscape underlying Grenzfurthner's narration.Zebrabutter: "Der Film Glossary of Broken Dreams oder: Im Schlachthaus Zum Goldenen Kalb"; April 25, 2018Info on film's homepage
Music
The film features music by Michael Donaldson, Inti-Illimani, wobblersound, Kasson Crooker, Duscher&Gratzer, Bottervogel, Christoph Burstup Weiss, among others.Indie Shorts Mag, "Glossary of Broken Dreams Is The Sad Reality Of Today’s Internet Generation"; April 11, 2018
Distribution The film's world premiere took place at Diagonale Film Festival in Graz, Austria on March 16, 2018. The festival called it a "popcultural wholesale assault".Glossary of Broken Dreams at Diagonale Film Festival The North American premiere took place at Vermont International Film Festival on April 11, 2018.Glossary of Broken Dreams at VTIFF 2018
Grenzfurthner has a proactive approach to peer-to-peer file sharing. In his interview with Boing Boing he mentions that he put donation info into the film, anticipating its appearance on torrent sites.
The film was released on January 31, 2019 on Vimeo on Demand and can be bought or rented.
Reception
Critical response Boing Boing says about the film: "Produced with a micro-budget, this monumental mosaic is taking the audience on a ride through an encyclopedia of overused, misconceived, and corrupted concepts and ideas. The fact that it concerns the favorite vocabulary of current discourses, the golden calves of contemporary controversy, makes for a considerably explosive force." Austrian pop culture magazine Skug calls the film "a swan song to the society of ignorance.".Skug (Christoph Benkeser), "Ein Abgesang auf die Ignoranzgesellschaft"; March 29, 2018
The Independent Critic's Richard Propes states that "Glossary of Broken Dreams is a nerdgasm of creative consciousness meets good intentions and abundant doses of intellectually informed human compassion. It'll fuck with your mind. Then laugh."The Independent Critic, "Glossary of Broken Dreams"; April 1, 2018 Film Threat's Bradley Gibson says that it's "aggressive, doesn't pull punches, and burns through ideas at machine-gun rate ... 97 head-spinning minutes of core dump rage and frustration that is also entertaining and witty."Film Threat, "Glossary of Broken Dreams"; March 28, 2018