Dust 2007
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Heino Deckert
Directed by Hartmut Bitomsky
DVD, color, 90 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Science, Cosmos
Date Entered: 04/10/2009
Reviewed by Gerald Notaro, University Librarian, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg“We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon.” So wrote Joni Mitchell in her Woodstock anthem 40 years ago. Who knew such a small particle on the threshold of visibility could be so fascinating? It almost seems natural and justified that Dust (Staub) should be a German film. The language (with English subtitles) oozes precision and exactness. Industrial dust, office dust, artistic dust, restroom dust, human dust; Bitomsky leaves no dust particle left unturned. His images and filming are meticulous, precise, and artistically composed. The precision begets an ultimate spirituality and abstraction of emotion that is surprising and a cinematic delight. He successfully engages a detached point of view that is not sterile, something most filmmakers find elusive. Though Dust may not end up in everyone’s cue it belongs in every library’s collection. A highly recommended purchase.