Sven Schnyder | Paxmal (The Station In-Between) / 2021

the journey

by Douglas Messerli

 

Tobias Imbach and Sven Schnyder (screenplay), Sven Schnyder (director) Paxmal (The Station In-Between) / 2021 [19 minutes]

 

Two gay Swiss middle-aged men, Theo Klein (Peter Fischli) and Louis Brandt (Carlos Leal) are on voyage from their home to Paxmal, the location of a peace monument built by Karl Bickel single-handedly over a period of 25 years from 1924 to 1949. The Greek-like temple with art work by Bickel representing the beauty of life and spiritual renewal was built near the small town of Walenstadt facing the Churfirsten mountain range.

     They carry with them an urn filled with the ashes of Louis’ husband Samy and Theo’s best friend, a man who has evidently been killed in a homophobic attack. Although details of the attack are scare within the film itself, it appears that Theo may have been with Samy at the time of the attack since he sports a broken wrist.

        Although the two men shared the life of Samy, they couldn’t be more different. Louis is a rather dour, somewhat conservative individual who is cynical on showing any open emotions, while Theo is a sentimental, open-hearted being, who will gladly cry on anybody’s shoulder and is disturbed from his friend’s lack of emotion about the terrible event. The only truly expressive thing about Louis is the bright lime green watch he wears, on which several travelers comment. It was Samy’s, and he explains that he simply needed a watch to tall time; it is now wearing for its sentimental value. Even the train conductor (Julia Monte) refuses to believe his explanation.

        On this special train-line, moreover there is even a so-called Concierge (Clovas Kasanda), who not only greets them, reporting this is his 65th trip to the remarkable Paxmal, but who looks after them throughout the voyage, at one point offering to share with them some power dope he’s smoking in his pipe.

      It is just what the up-tight Louis needs, and before the ride is over he and Theo both are thoroughly enjoying themselves, despite the seriousness of the event.

 

      Although the film doesn’t make clear why they have chosen to take Samy’s ashes to Paxmal, it apparently is the place where he was born, since they are met by Samy’s mother Erna (Margherita Schoch), still furious after the 20 years since her son left his wife for Louis. Louis confronts her that he is not at all sorry that he met Samy, enjoying some the best years of his life with him and that his only sorrow is that she is Samy’s mother. But almost as quickly as she expressed her fury, slapping his face and pummeling his chest with her clinched fists, she breaks down into tears, nestling her head against his body.

        Louis hands her the urn as a small band breaks into music, the foursome and town dwellers marching in procession presumably on their way to the memorial.

         When the two men reach the temple, they discover a Buddhist-like man wearing a short dress. They bow to him, presenting the urn. He only laughs speaking in a quite colloquial language as he exclaims, “Boys, whoa!” explaining that he too is a visitor. There is no place in this shrine to life for an urn, he argues, Theo and Louis suddenly unable to even comprehend why they have come so far then. His answer is the obvious one: it is for the sake of the journey.

        They sit for a while, pondering the situation, and in the very next frame we see them back at the station awaiting the train back. For moment Louis puts down the urn on the platform; a second later a train going in the opposite direction speeds past, overturning the pot as the ashes come pouring out. The men look down at the “disaster” and begin to laugh. What else are they to do. The train arrives, briefly stops, and when it pulls away the grievers have disappeared back into their daily lives.

        Swiss director Sven Schnyder’s lovely fable—and beautifully filmed by Sebastian Klinger— turns a horrible event and the sorrow that follows into a sweet on the road movie wherein, like Bickel’s figures on the Paxmal wall, these two gay men undergo a spiritual adventure which renews their lives.

 

Los Angeles, January 16, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (January 2024).