Documentary, feature film or mockumentary? Director Christoph Schwarz has fun mixing his life with fiction so skillfully that in the end it is no longer clear what is true and what is not. Actor Robert Stadlober narrates his personal video diary, but the whole family, including his parents, plays along, and even Schwarz's real tax advisor (Miguel Schauer) appears. Christoph Schwarz calls “piggy bank“Meta-documentary and mockumentary, but it still won court at the 58th Film Days – among other things. by the author of these lines, who was part of the three-person jury – was awarded the Critics' Prize in the “Feature Film” category.
The fact that the prize is not endowed seems important because Christoph Schwarz is trying to steal money with his film “Piggy Bank”. It all starts when his friend Judith (Judith Revers) invites him to contribute a topic for the new ORF format “Strike Years”. He agrees and will go on a money strike for a year in 2021 in favor of the climate. The station doesn't know that he's broke anyway, because Schwarz secretly squandered the film's budget on a weekend house. That's why he now wants or has to make a no-budget film and find out how to go on a climate-effective money strike. In his “economic sabbatical” Schwarz deals equally with art, capitalism and climate activism. Small spoiler in advance: Art is more likely to be financed than climate projects, so Christoph Schwarz becomes a climate artist.
Christoph Schwarz doesn't want to use any money for a year. But is he really doing something for the climate if he simply lets others pay.
The framework story with the ORF boss, who initially ridicules Christoph Schwarz's climate actions as “really sweet”, fits well into the calendar-like narrative of the money strike year: While Schwarz already feels like a climate activist through exchange campaigns, upcycling projects and food sharing, his boss demands more radical action. This drives the ORF plot forward. The team shot the scenes in the fake editorial office for two days; the dialogues were not predetermined. Except for the boss, Ms. Leitner, who is portrayed by an actress, everyone appears with their real names.
So far, Schwarz is known from short films such as “LDAE” (2017), where he developed the participatory ORF format “Let the others decide,” and “CSL” (2018), where he founded the Christoph Schwarz Lodge with namesakes. As in his short films, he uses fixed camera images, sometimes even a zoom. He stays true to his style.
Potatoes in the roundabout and a vegetable patch in the convertible
A voiceover (Robert Stadlober) serves as a guide through the money strike year (because at least the money strike is actually real). Christoph Schwarz combines video snippets from real climate actions. For example, there is the protest against the Lobau Tunnel in Vienna (#LobauBleibt) or a project in which Schwarz and others grew potatoes on a traffic island (“St. Marx district potato”). The best-known project is probably the “Cabriobeet”. Since a parking space for residents in Vienna costs ten euros a month, Schwarz gets a bright yellow convertible as a gift, grows a vegetable patch in the car and pays the monthly parking fee. He accepts that he has to keep changing parking spaces because a car is just a car if it remains mobile.
The director always ran the camera when he felt that the scene might be relevant. Schwarz often lets someone speak and the voiceover complements what is being said, while the soundtrack runs along quietly. Schwarz re-shot some scenes if he was dissatisfied with the material. He repeatedly meets real activists from “Extinction Rebellion” and David Sonnenbaum, the founder of “Last Generation” and “Robin Foods”. While some of them are becoming increasingly frustrated, for example David Sonnenbaum is looking for a job in the private sector in order to earn some real money, Christoph Schwarz is becoming more and more a convinced climate activist. A nice contrast.
The Cabriobed is one of Christoph Schwarz's most famous campaigns.
Black is particularly entertaining when he discovers his own new double standards. Only those who have chosen lack of money will proudly rummage through the trash. His moral compass is turning, says Schwarz: “Now I feel like a hero when I eat torture meat from the discount store and give strawberries from Brazil a second chance.” The money carousel continues to turn. Schwarz gives the cameraman who works for him for free the nickname “Gratis-Georg” (Georg Glück). If he forgoes money, others have to pay (for him). A friend calls him a “compromise clown” because of this. The fact that he finally resorts to increasingly drastic actions and even symbolically burns his directing fee causes admiration and shaking of the head in equal measure. In the end (almost) everything is fake.
Conclusion: Under the guise of a mockumentary, Christoph Schwarz mercilessly deals with the absurdities of economics and politics with a lot of wit. For him, climate activism is no fun – but in “Piggy Bank” it is extremely amusing and sad at the same time.
We saw “Piggy Bank” at the 58th Hof Film Days.