Blumenzimmer

[Deirdre Towers]

Dance film BLUMENZIMMER meaning 'Flower Room' in German, depicts a contemporary adult fairytale about a dancer confined to live in a box. In a dilapidated house there lives a small troll-like man that cherishes the moments he opens his box of amber light to reveal the dancer living within the confines of a flower papered box. The protagonist is interrupted by a tall handsome man who arrives to the house to take the box for himself. The handsome man remains in the house while the defeated troll looks on with sadness. From here the relationship evolves between the confined dancer and the handsome man from coy flirtation to animalistic rapture. Here the objectives turn muddled though intrigue remains continuous. With an array of aesthetics BLUMENZIMMER has many artistic and cinematic moments of mastery including the first time we see the troll sitting and cautiously detecting his solidarity carefully opens the glowing box for the first time revealing the golden glow of a rag doll dancer with a glimmering eye of seduction.

A film by Sarah Derendinger, choreographed by Teresa Rotemberg BLUMENZIMMER is described as: Maria a tiny woman is guarded by Hermann like a jewel in a decoration box. But Maria dances only at night if it Herman wants. Opening the flower box begins an intimate pas de deux. Tom pleads Maria to jump out of the flower room. Trying to escape the two men Maria is pushed back into her miniature world. But Maria notices the fact that she can walk now simply from the room and can live her new found luck.

By Kathryn Luckstone
Dance Films Assn.