4 Elements

The documentary film by Jiska Rickels comprises four chapters which depict human endeavour in the face of the four elements. The first part devoted to Fire sees a group of fire-fighters operating in the Siberian forests where extensive fires break out regularly during the summer months. In the part focusing on Water, we set off for Alaska in search of royal crab hunters forced to endure the claustrophobic environment of their fishing boat, tossed by stormy waters. To illustrate the Earth element, the director chose to depict miners working in a huge German mine where, along the endless corridors leading to the core of the mountain, they encounter signposts saying, eloquently, "To Hell". The last chapter, Air, examines the extreme physical and psychological strain which astronauts face as they prepare for their journey into space. This striking film, with its refined camera in the role of observer, is enhanced by well chosen atmospheric sound. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)