ETA: Five Seconds

In late February 2001, the reclusive, world-famous director ETA visited French-speaking Switzerland. Seeking to expand the creative horizons of cinematography, he used his digital camera to create a completely new and novel form: the "Five Second Movie". The resulting oeuvres, provide fascinating insights and tantalizing glimpses of la vie quotidienne of the Lake Geneva region.

"Look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it..." The hand-held camera technique is strongly reminiscent of ETA's early work for MTV. Rolling from side to side while moving rapidly along L'Avenue d'Ouchy depicts the rush and instability of modern life.

A passage along the Lausanne waterfront: water, trees, a bus. The constant, horizontal image flow serves as a reminder of the individual's ever-constant struggle against linear time.

This film is a witty commentary on sport. For almost the entire first half, it seems that success is ensured. But, as so often happens in real-life, the gravity of the situtation eventually dominates, forcing ascetic self-denial. In the end, the athelete is forced to walk away from his past.

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