Rhythmus 59

The Life of Sean DeLear is a vibrantly multi-faceted, buoyantly propulsive documentary portrait of this irresistibly charismatic one-off — sketched in celebratory but commendably clear-eyed style by writer-director Markus Zizenbacher. There can be very few people better qualified to do justice to this particular tale. Zizenbacher befriended DeLear — born Anthony Robertson in Simi Valley, an obscure California backwater — after the latter relocated to Vienna in the early 2010s.

The siblings Vroni and Flori observe the goings-on at their parents’ flower stall. Vroni claims to know the future. Aleksey Lapin believes her and shows a microcosm through which the marginalized stroll, while a wind that will change everything brews in the air. A playful ode to the feeling that nothing has to be as it is.

Vienna during Christmas time 2017. ION has read a curious article about Hitler, who might be found in Argentina, while his older half-brother Andrei seems to have other problems on his mind. Following the two Romanian half-brothers and their preparations for leaving the city, money is only one side of the coin.

Russian-born director Aleksey Lapin travels back to his relatives’ home village near the Ukrainian border, where he himself used to spend every summer. The film crew introduce themselves at a specially organized musical event, claiming that they have come to cast a historical film that is to be set in the village. What follows is a charming, semi-fictional documentary by and with the village community.