Erbarme Dich
Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion has a profound impact on people’s lives. We are introduced to some of these during a performance in an abandoned church, where a small choir and orchestra under the direction of a top conductor play the piece for an audience of homeless and refugees.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS FILM IS IN ENGLISH AND DUTCH, WITH DUTCH SUBTITLES.
Set against the backdrop of a church which has fallen into disrepair, the main characters (including such notable people as Peter Sellars, Emio Greco, Simon Halsey and painter Rinke Nijburg) explain their special relationship with Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Stories from the wide range of characters alternate seamlessly. As their stories unfold, we learn how the St Matthew Passion played a decisive role in the human relations between men and women, lovers, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, mothers and their unborn children, and finally that in spite of our differences we all share in the secret of music.
Ramon Gieling, Netherlands, 2014, 96 min. English & Dutch spoken, Dutch subtitles.