Every lamp, every cup, every gadget—insurance companies often require homeowners who have lost their homes in a fire to take an inventory of every object they owned. But of course this list can never show what is really of value and what is not. This is precisely what filmmaker Irene Lusztig asks about.
In 2020, a California wildfire reduced 900 homes to ashes. Lusztig, whose house was spared, interviews some of her neighbors on the charred remains of their houses. This leads to surprising, emotional, and probably also therapeutic conversations about what is of value. A former collector appears not to be missing any of her collector's items, but another woman can name every jar from her former spice rack.
Lusztig investigates the difference between a house and a home, and the relationship between memories and objects. At the same time, she shows what is left after a devastating fire—such as a miraculously undamaged “I Love Dad” mug—and human resilience.
Credits
Director
Irene Lusztig
Production
Sara Archambault for Arch + Bow Films, Irene Lusztig for Komsomol Films
Cinematography
Irene Lusztig
Editing
Irene Lusztig
Sound
Kyle Baker
Related films
The Banality of Grief
After his wife dies, the renowned Danish documentary filmmaker Jon Bang Carlsen starts work on a new film. But everything he sees reminds him of her absence. His film thus becomes “a little stammering love letter."
More info
For Your Peace of Mind, Make Your Own Museum
The late Senobia was an endearing woman who transformed her house in a Panamanian village into “The Museum of Antiquities of All Species.” Pilar Moreno and Ana Endara capture her personality and creation in a quirky, conceptual documentary.
More infoIDFA history
2021
World Premiere
IDFA Competition for Short Documentary
IDFA Competition for Short Documentary