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“Do you see how powerfully the river flows? It’s irreversible. Men could straighten a river, construct barrages, redirect it, but they can’t hold it up! The river flows, grabbing everything on its way. And as the river, so our community! There are always new forces arranging, whose power people can’t resist. People are uprooted and washed away. Human flotsam!”

Thus speaks Paul Bridge, the 70-year-old former professor, a philosopher with a weakness for books and quotes. Through his own fault he has experienced a tragic fate and his existence no longer makes sense. He has lived the past 23 years on the road.

He has a deep, platonic love affair with the young prostitute, Isabel, who reminds him of his deceased daughter. The strong relationship with Paul and his understanding changes Isabel’s perspective and self-esteem.

Paul is also friends with the young Czech, Vaclav, who is a piano player. Paul helps Vaclav find his place again in life by recognizing his musical abilities. But a misunderstanding involving Isabel and conflicted emotions leads to a confrontation between the two men, with Paul having to realize that he has misread Vaclav’s personality.

Seeking solace with Isabel, Paul disturbs her at work. She fails to grasp his precarious situation and cry for help. In that moment Paul experiences again the trauma of his helpless life. Alone and desperate, he begins to drink.

Isabel realizes what she’s done and panics. She follows Paul’s tracks in the snow to their favorite place and finds him on the verge of death...

“Schattenmenschen (“Shadow People”) is not a sociological documentary,” says Darioush Shirvani, the film’s producer, writer and director. “The framework of the story is a group of homeless people and prostitutes, with all their problems and small joys. Paul’s clan is multinational, such as Jacov the Russian Jewish refugee and his friend Ahmed, a Persian actor who was persecuted at home.”

“The film is about people,” Shirvani explains, “who have preserved their senses and emotions in spite of their hard circumstances. It’s about the human relations between people of different origins and nationalities; people outside of civil life whose wishes, dreams and aspirations are no different from ordinary people.”

Darioush Shirvani was born in Shiraz/Iran in 1963. By the age of 14 he was already studying Music and making short films. From 1977-1981 he was an assistant director, stage manager and actor at the local theater and between 1980-1985 he made six features, all of which he wrote. He was then forced to flee the country.

In Germany, his musical work was recognized by the city of Munich with a scholarship award and in 2002 Augsburg University voted him Artist of the Year. With one documentary, three shorts and six features already under his belt, Schattenmenschen is the next of doubtlessly many features to come.

SK