The State of Things

Der Stand der Dinge, feature film, 1982

DIRECTED BY: Wim Wenders

The State of Things

Synopsis:

This film is, in a way, Wenders’s autobiography. It is a story of a producer who lacks financial resources. He and his somewhat miserable film crew are stuck in the middle of Portugal. The director is even left without the filming tape. The only thing they can do is threaten the potential investors – especially Americans, the real film fans… Showing the troubles of an imaginary film crew, Wenders in fact raises his voice in the name of all homeless and those without rights (the unlawfully robbed, disempowered…). At the same time it is a harsh reaction to the troubles that he faced when he was filming his first American film Hammett (1982).

The film won the Golden lion in Venice.