MWFF 2015: RIDER JACK

RIDER JACK

2015, Colour, Switzerland, 90 minutes, World Competition

 

This film deals with the subject matter that many of us have to face at some point in our lives: ageing parents who are starting to have health problems that limit their memory as well as cognitive and physical functioning, and the   necessity of carrying for their well-being either ourselves or arranging for professional care that includes moving them into a nursing home. Yet, at the same time, unresolved problems from the past resurface with a new force, making us to deal with the hurt and pain we felt in our childhood. As a result, we often re-examine and re-establish our relationship with an ageing parent at a completely different level that is quite new to us and to which we have to adjust inwardly.

The time when our parents get old and sick is a tough period in many people's lives. This is especially true for Jack Theiler, the main character in the film, who has to deal with some rough memories from his childhood, and has to accept back into his life his father, whom he has not seen since childhood. Does he succeed? You should see for yourself.

At the end of the film, during the Q & A session with the film's director, one woman from the audience stood up and said, "I hope this film will be available in our cinemas in Quebec later on. Many people will go to see it, they would relate to it since they have to go through similar things themselves."

Film's Official Synopsis

Jack Theiler, 45, a trained chef who has all but failed at life, has had enough of Switzerland. His dream is of a fresh start, preferably in Mallorca. He has successfully completed therapy for his alcoholism and all he needs now is the cash to open a new restaurant. But Jack’s past comes back to haunt him in an unexpected way. His hated father Paul, who he has not seen since childhood, is back in his life. Paul suffers from Alzheimer's and wants to make peace with his son while he still can. But Jack has very different plans for Paul. Two worlds collide, and a journey to Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, turns into an odyssey back to a painfully suppressed past. RIDER JACK is a father-son story that approaches the conflict of generations in a loving and ironic way. A melancholy road movie about missed opportunities and the power of memory. 

Director

Born in in Zurich in 1969, This Lüscher attended jazz school in Switzerland and co-founded the Autodidactic Filmmaker Group. He then graduated from the Netherlands Film and Television Academy with a degree in direction. Selected filmography: Der Mann von der Tür (1993), Brandschoon (1997), Off Beat (1998), Mannen (2001), FERIENFIEBER (2004), Shit Happens (2006), Alptraum (2007), DRINNEN/DRAUSSEN – VON DER OUTSIDER ART ZUR INSIDER ART (2015), as well as several TV series. 

Production Team

Director : This Lüscher

Screenwriter : André Küttel, This Lüscher

Cinematographer : Remko Schnorr

Editor : Katarina Türler

Cast : Roeland Wiesnekker, Wolfram Berger, Rebecca Indermaur, Andreas Löffel, Ragna Guderian, Luisa Ferroni,  Philippe Graber

Music : Triplet Studios

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Olivier Zobrist, Anne-Catherine Lang, Langfilm, Dorfstrasser 14C, 8427 Freienstein-Teufen (Suisse), tél.: +41 (44) 865 66 27, info@langfilm.ch /oz@langfilm.ch.

Projections

Thursday September 3, 2015 - 11:30 AM - CINÉMA IMPÉRIAL
Thursday September 3, 2015 - 07:00 PM - CINÉMA IMPÉRIAL

Top Image courtesy of MWFF 2015 and the Director of the film.