CPH:DOX 2013: Matthew's Laws

Matthew's Laws

Director: Marc Schmidt | Netherlands 2012 | 72 min

In a small, cluttered apartment somewhere in Germany, somewhere between heaps of clothes, dirty dishes, countless tool boxes and thirsty plants we meet Matthew, who invites us inside into a world of numbers, letters and categorisations - a fundamental system he has devised to be able to make sense of his life. Little by little, we are whirled into Matthew's complex thoughts, which apart from a thought-trough mathematical system also consists of a whole web of philosophical and pensive reflections. A system, that also leads to some explosive confrontations with reality, when, for example, his order and structure in the eyes of others (and not least the municipality) is nothing more than an impenetrable chaos. Marc Schmidt has created an affectionate and courageous film portrait of his autistic childhood friend, who desperately tries to bring order into the world that surrounds him. But he has also created a highly detailed and deeply fascinating film about the impenetrable mysteries of the human mind. For who, ultimately, has the right to define what is normal? 'Matthew's Laws' affects each of us in a way that makes us learn a little bit more about ourselves.

De Regels van Matthijs (Netherlands, 2012, 72 min.)
Director: Marc Schmidt. Script: Marc Schmidt. Camera: Marc Schmidt and Aage Hollander. Sound: Sander den Broeder. Edit: Katarina Turler. Producer: Simone van den Broek. Production: Basaltfilm.
English Version.

Basalt Film
Schiekade 189-III
3013 BR Rotterdam
Netherlands

Screenings:

No further screenings planned.

Extra info:

After the screening on 4 November, there will be a debate with the musician Maja Toudal, the psychologist Kirsten Callesen and the head of the Danish Asperger Association, Aage Sinkbæk, about various definitions of normality.