CPH:DOX 2013: Trains of Thoughts

Trains of Thoughts

Director: Timo Novotny | Austria 2012 | 84 min

New York's subway is a place to rest, a break from internet connections, a potential meeting place for lovers and a place where the whole world meets. In Hollywood, the subway is just another film set with palm trees and red lights. And in Tokyo, the subway is equal to the opportunity of grasping the behind of a Japanese woman, plus the absolute number one location for suicides. But what can the underground networks actually tell us about the special aura of a metropolis? In Timo Novotny's audiovisual essay 'Trains of Thoughts', the subway is explored as something more than just a means of transport. From New York to Los Angeles and from Japan to Hong Kong, we are literally sucked into an underworld of narrow tunnels, artificial light and darkness. The experimental 3D feeling is supported by Sofa Surfers' soft and sinister electronic soundtrack, which in fleeting moments turns Novotny's film into a long science fiction music video. Between the electro tones and the galloping speed trains, there is also room for moments of contemplative reflection - just like during a subterranean journey through a real city.

Trains of Thoughts (Austria, 2012, 84 min.)
Director: Timo Novotny.
with English Subtitles.