"The Traveler," as
this film is known in its U.S. release, is the story of Albin, a young
man who is about to complete his final examination for an MBA and
already has a job with a bank. Suddenly, life as he has always known
it simply stops.
His girlfriend, Lisa, tells him that he is incapable of love. He loses
his job, and does not complete his final exam. Instead, Albin leaves
his native Sweden for Berlin. In Berlin, he stays in a hostel and
decides to become a writer.
The vast majority of "The Traveler" takes place while Albin is staying
in "The Hostel." At first, he embraces this newfound freedom. He
drinks, parties and makes friends rather easily. However, this being a
hostel, these friends always eventually leave and his drinking begins
to intensify and slowly downward spiral.
As written and directed by William Olsson, "The Traveler" is
experimental cinema of the most interesting kind. It is emotionally
compelling, visually hypnotic and nearly impossible to turn away from.
Johannes Albin Alfven portrays Albin, and through Olsson's sort of
docu-feature approach, brings Albin to life through a pitch-perfect
portrayal of a young adult on a well-defined path who suddenly seeks
to be undefined. Olsson's knack for interesting visuals, and the
accompaniment of a variety of musical interludes, makes "The Traveler"
feel like one is taking a journey through Albin's life.
Likewise, those Albin encounters throughout the film are constantly
interesting and Olsson has chosen these performers wisely. Rather
courageously, the film only ever really hints at sexual encounters.
Instead, the characters seem to form almost spontaneous intimacy
before they must let go a mere few days later.
The characters Albin encounters include a young aspiring actress from
Poland to a street musician to a group of friends with whom he
explores Berlin's techno scene.
Yet, time and again, Albin ends up alone. His downward spiral begins
to spiral upward as Berlin's famous Loveparade nears and Albin finds a
job in Berlin and, finally, begins to find himself.
Olsson tells his story through the spoken word, visuals, relationships
and music. He perfectly blends all of these into a film that literally
screams with the richness of being human.
"The Traveler," at a mere 62 minutes, is an experimental film that
works wonderfully thanks to the masterful vision of William Olsson and
the stellar performance by Johannes Albin Alfven. Currently playing on
the film festival circuit, it is a shame that more will not see this
wonderful work by a visionary writer and director. |
