The Shine of Day

The Shine of Day, directed by Rainer Frimmel and Tizza Covi, is a peculiar blend of fiction and documentary that was launched in 2012. The leading stars, Philipp Hochmair and Walter Saabel, revel in this intriguing semi-docufiction film that astoundingly bridges the gap between reality and fiction.

The film explores the disruptive collision of two separate worlds through the connectivity of familial ties.

Philipp Hochmair, an accomplished theater actor in Vienna, plays a version of himself. His portrayal is so subtly nuanced and lifelike, showcasing a well-established actor immersed in his unique method of living and working. Devoted to his craft, Philipp lives a life typical of a focused artist, filled with relentless rehearsals, performances, and studies. Day after day, he continually transforms himself into various classical theatrical characters ranging from Kafka to Goethe, Brecht to Schiller, absorbing their essences and living their stories on the stages of Vienna.

His heavily armored routine and professional life, however, is disrupted with the unexpected arrival of Walter Saabel, a sprightly old man, claiming to be his long-lost uncle. Walter Saabel, a former circus artist turned actor for the movie, brings an intriguing warmth and honesty to his role. Walter's life as a knife-thrower, snake handler, and bear wrestler stands starkly in contrast to Philipp's disciplined days.

The Shine of Day is therefore a journey about their meeting of worlds, engaging through their arts, negotiating common grounds despite their differences. The film presents a fascinating juxtaposition and examination of their contrasting lives - one involved in sophisticated theater arts, and the other entrenched in the raw, daring performance arts of a traditional circus - an exploration of the value of art, in its various forms and mediums.

The intriguing narrative consistently blurs fact and fiction, which allows the audience to become part of this intimate and original film experience. The directors, Frimmel and Covi, have efficiently constructed a narrative that leaps between a staged documentary and dramatic fictional account. The vitality of their storytelling lies in how they manage to blur the lines so subtly that the viewer can never fully discern truth from fabrication.

Shot in documentary-style realism, the vibrancy of cities like Vienna and Hamburg becomes the backdrop of the narrative. The cities, presented in their raw form, act as silent observers to the burgeoning relationship between the pair. The directors have cleverly enhanced the storytelling through the realistic ambience of the backgrounds, capturing the cities' culture, rhythm, and texture with a sense of strong authenticity.

Explicitly devoid of dramatic soundtracks or lighting, this film intensely focuses on the narrative and its characters. Instead, the directors use the organic sounds from the characters' environment, creating a very sensory experience. It's as if one can smell the theatre's musty red velvet, feel the cold dankness of Walter's home, and hear the rustle of crowds in a bustling city.

The naturalistic performances of the actors further enhance the authenticity of the movie. Although the actors are playing somewhat fictionalized versions of themselves, they do it with such genuineness and spontaneity that it's hard not to be captivated by their lives.

The Shine of Day, with its blended form and existential undertones, offers a perspective on the inherent human desire for connection, recognition, and understanding of self and others in a fast-paced, evolving world. It is a contemplative exploration of art and life, and the entwining of the two. Steeped in narrative simplicity, astute observations, and an incredible character study, it's a film that compels you to reflect on spaces between the familiar and the new, the reality and the staged, and the spoken and silent.

As the film unfolds, you find yourself involved in a personal, touching, comic, and insightful journey into two quirky yet profound lives breathing in their independent conception of art. By the end, The Shine of Day evolves into an intriguing exploration of versatility, the idea of home, belonging, and most importantly, discards any singular definition of art - drawing a luminous ode to an artist's life, in all its vibrant dimensions.