Peter Bichsel

He appears to be a subtle, intelligent embodiment of (German) Swissness. He is the only popular Swiss intellectual. But does that mean we really know Peter Bichsel, our modern folk writer? Peter Bichsel is an expert on Paris, but has never been there himself. In this film, he ventures on a journey. It takes him to room 202 at the Hotel Gare de l'Est in the station of the same name, but no further.

Bütler’s film is the first documentary to tell the story of the great artist Ferdinand Hodler, a huge national figure in Swiss art history. Born in 19th Century Bern, Hodler was an orphan whose painting of Wilhelm Tell has become an iconic piece of Swiss art. Prominent contributors such as writer Peter Bichsel and artist Rudolf Schindler comment on what makes Hodler’s pictures so iconic. Enlightening, moving and far removed from any clichés, the film explains the great themes of Hodler’s work – man, nature, love and death – and takes a fascinating journey into an artistic and very contemporary world.

Max Frisch was the last big Swiss intellectual widely respected as a “voice” in its own right – a character hardly found today. The film retells Frisch’s story as a witness of the unfolding 20th century, wondering if such “voices” are needed at all, or if we could do without them.