Change Your Image
saurabh_xml
Reviews
Pixelschatten (2011)
A bitter-sweet Zeitgeist take on our online identities.
While I write my first impressions about Pixelschatten from my mobile, I realise how frustrating the idea of claiming your identity through an online presence could be. Pixel, our protagonist in Pixelschatten is both a popular blogger and a video documenter, who doesn't flinch from recording and poking cameras even in his private moments with his girlfriend. The blog and the act of documenting serve as his tools to define himself to the readers of his blog and us viewers piggybacking as voyeurs though his camera. We see Pixel, as his friends around him respond to him and as his thoughts are duly recorded and posted and commented upon.
An interesting parallel about Pixel and his camera reminds me of Kieslowski's Camera Buff, where the very act of pointing camera around people leads to a social discord both within family and community. I wonder if social networks were around that time, wouldn't it closely resemble the creeping isolation in Pixel's story. What Social Network just hinted at towards the end, Pixelschatten shows us the anxiety amongst the clamour of the posts and comments on the social medium.
But as much Pixelschatten is Pixel's story, its also the story of Pixel's friends as they deal with sudden notoriety the blog gathers after a certain transgression by Pixel. As we wonder about the characters as they assume their nonchalance with Pixel and the event, Pixelschatten holds a pleasant surprise for us towards the end. Its incredible to know that the film was achieved on a very small budget. It still remains gorgeously shot and beautifully acted, also helped by the excellent cast. Extra brownie points for having a fun song in the film.