You do not leave traces of your presence, just of your acts

The film You do not leave traces of your presence, just of your acts can be read as an experimental coming-of-age film that illuminates the traces of three characters from the filmmaker’s youth: Maria, Daniel and Jackpot. In the stories, which Wieland tells in his own voice from a first-person perspective, autobiographical and fictional elements merge into a dense poetic space. They mix past and present and bring the protagonists together with figures from cultural history such as Sigmund Freud or Jackson Pollock.

The personal is combined with the political and slowly develops into an analysis of social norms and repression with the help of constantly flickering humor. As in a dream, the constellations and connections are confusing and full of tragedy and seem surreal.

The film shows the interactions between personality development, family influences and social constraints and poses questions: How do images shape our memory? What effects do intergenerational traumas have on the psyche, on desire, and what role does it play in the construction of our identity?