A scenario for horror films: the treacherous depths of the moor. And it was right into this that Matthias Matz ventured while filming Tanja Egen's short film "Der Gesellschafter". The director had asked Matthias Matz beforehand whether he minded wading into the moor, and he had spontaneously said no. As an actor he found the challenge exciting. Until the shoot began and he had to start walking. "At the very first step, after the director's 'Action', all I could think was, just don't fall over. I immediately realised that it could go wrong too. There's not much acting left at that point — it goes down to the bone." This physical limit experience is what the film's protagonist seeks. A mentally weary, burnt-out man in a suit who goes out into the wide-open nature. Contrary, perhaps, to expectation, he finds no peace of mind there but is confronted with the demons of his own self and the forces of nature. But it is not only the moor that is treacherous. In the forest the director had mirrors hung up, the birches painted whiter and the grass sprayed greener. What that does to the senses, Matthias Matz could feel on his own body during the shoot. "It was incredibly exciting as an actor to subordinate myself to it and to allow whatever happened to happen." Through the force of the images, these experiences were so present for Matthias Matz during the team premiere that it was as if he were standing in the middle of nature again. Tanja Egen's directing project, which she realised as part of her studies at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin, will from the beginning of 2017 embark on what is hopefully a successful run on film festivals. Afterwards, the film is also to be shown as a supporting feature in cinemas.
Down to the Bone
