New feature
documentary about community
living - The DVD
80 min, German
with English/French/Spanish
subtitles
The
film "Kein richtig falsches Leben" ("No Completely
Wrong Life) by Michael Würfel shows with humour and up close what life
in
community can look like - and is thus the only current feature
documentary movie
of its kind. It is also available for streaming at https://www.kino-on-demand.com/movies/kein-richtig-falsches-leben,
or as BluRay-disk.
The
ecovillage Sieben Linden in Northern Germany,
founded 1997, is present on television and in the print media and is
admired
for its small ecological footprint which is only a third as large as
the German
average (link to
source).
However, the challenges of such a sustainable life in community are not
subject
in such short reports and articles. What exactly is great and what is
strenuous
about such a life is shown in "Kein richtig falsches Leben".
While
the structures, everyday life and functioning of such a
micro-society are conveyed rather incidentally, the film, in keeping
with the
title, repeatedly refers to the question: "If people design their world
in
the way they like it, are they at least satisfied with it?" - with
various
answers. Obviously, most people have not moved into community projects
in the
last decades; living in community is still a niche concept. Although
the small
ecological footprint is sensational: What other idea to counter climate
change
can present such practical prototypes that are really attractive? A
life among
nice people, healthy living, safe environment, meaningful employment.
Perhaps
community living is not yet ready for the mass market. Some
people find it "exhausting" to suddenly hold all the strings in their
own hands. And grassroots democracy can also produce decisions that
make the
actions of government offices look clever and effective. But the
aspirations
are high: In the Sieben Linden ecovillage, for example, residents do
some of
the work that is otherwise done by the municipal administration and
financed by
taxes. Plus earning one’s living, plus tending to many possible close
relationships and family, plus building the village including new
houses to
live in. It’s a lot.
On
the
other hand, a beautiful village is being created in Sieben Linden, and
the
community that can be felt there radiates unbroken attractiveness. Life
is full
of meaning and happy moments, a steady influx of interested people
promises to
make the community ever more fascinating. No really wrong life in
Sieben
Linden: While sustainability, good living and personal freedom have to
be
permanently balanced, the film gives us an inkling of what such a life
in
community actually means.
Note: The DVD contains bonus material
that is not subtitled
Deutsch
English