EGOMANIA - ISLAND WITHOUT HOPE

EGOMANIA - ISLAND WITHOUT HOPE (EGOMANIA - INSEL OHNE HOFFNUNG), 1986
Germany | HDD, Color, 82’ | German, English
Director: Christoph Schlingensief
Cast: Udo Kier, Tilda Swinton, Uwe Fellensiek

"If a thought gnaws at you, think it away..." these words are followed by: "... or suffer" in Egomania. Christoph Schlingensief, the enfant terrible of German cinema and art world who died at a very young age, was only 26 years old when he made this film. Accompanying him was the uncanny Udo Kier and otherworldly beauty Tilda Swinton. Egomania is a drama that deals with grand issues such as love, jealousy, greed and murder. The events take place during winter on a little island in the North Sea. The synopsis included in the press release distributed at the premiere of the film contains several references: "Dr. Faust in the ice ... or ... a German story about the collapse of civilization, following in the footsteps of the NibelungenliedEpic."

Egomania accompanies the documentary titled The Voice that Shook the Silence, which portrays Schlingensief, the indefatigable anarchist of the culture and art scene , through invaluable original material.