Stroke 2004
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court Street, 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; (800) 876-1710
Produced by Katerina Peters Filmproduktion and ZDF, Das kleine Fernsehspiel, Burkhad Althoff
Directed by Katarina Peters
DVD, color, 58 min., primarily English, with some German and English subtitles
General Adult
Disability Studies, Rehabilitation
Date Entered: 05/02/2013
Reviewed by Maureen Puffer-Rothenberg, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GAIn 1998, 33-year-old German cellist Boris Baberkoff suffered a stroke while honeymooning with his filmmaker wife, Katarina Peters. Peters immediately began keeping a film diary. Over the next five years she developed the diary into this moody, atmospheric account of illness and recovery, focused on her personal struggle as caregiver to her dependent and, initially, often childlike husband.
In a style reminiscent of peeking into a written diary, Peters offers an impressionistic collection of scenes from her fragmented marriage and her inner monologue as she struggles with new responsibilities, love, and anger. She expresses her frustration in nightmarish sequences, reenacting dreams of building a defective violin, crocheting a brain stem, or trying to prevent a bathtub from overflowing. Peters conveys well the draining emotional impact of a long, unpredictable illness.
Although the film’s tone overall is rather bleak, there is a happy ending for the couple. Through therapy, familial support, and a brief separation, Peters and Baberkoff were able to reestablish their relationship. Five years after Baberkoff’s stroke, he was independent, emotionally mature, and composing music. A team once again, the two worked together to edit this film.
The film is an emotional document, rather than a practical account; while well-made, the subject matter and lack of narrative plot will make it difficult for some viewers. It contains some profanity; viewers may select from a chapter menu.
Awards
- Best Documentary, Lepzig International Festival, 2004