Invisible People

About this event

INVISIBLE PEOPLE is an experimental documentary essay by filmmaker Alisa Berger that enters the world of Japanese Butoh – the so-called ‘dance of darkness’ that emerged in post-war Japan. Rather than a conventional documentary, the film blends poetic off-screen narration, striking choreographic arrangements and an evocative soundscape to create an almost physical viewing experience. It portrays several Butoh masters and performers, including Yoshito Ōno (son of Butoh co-founder Kazuo Ōno), who passed away during filming, giving the work an elegiac undertone. Berger merges philosophical texts by Butoh founder Tatsumi Hijikata with the life stories of the dancers, and the film gradually moves beyond its subject to become a meditation on life, loss, and the invisible connections between people. Strobe effects, dissonant musical compositions and a range of settings – from urban spaces to meditative landscapes – shape its uncompromising visual language. After the 71-minute screening at naxos.Kino, the director Alisa Berger will take part in a Q&A moderated by Marianne Spohner, offering a chance to discuss the making of the film and the art of Butoh. Good to know: The film is screened in Japanese with German subtitles; the post-screening talk is held in German.