SYNOPSIS
SAY GOD BYE tells the story of a teenager's transformation into a filmmaker under the spell of the cineaste who has lived and worked on Lake Geneva since 1975: Jean-Luc Godard.
We delve into this teenager's past, from his conception in the Paris of A Bout de Souffle, where his parents were working at the time, to his first forays into filmmaking.
Fascinated by the already legendary filmmaker, Thomas dreams of becoming his assistant. He writes to JLG, asking him if he could "look over his shoulder" while he is at work. JLG never answers.
Rejected by the master, the teenager must now find his own way as a filmmaker until that day in 2021 when he senses JLG's end is near. Thomas decides to visit the master. On foot. A pilgrimage to pay his (last) respects.His aim is to meet JLG in person. Thomas Imbach dreams of filming not the master, but WITH the master, for which reason d, he has packed his Aaton camera in his backpack. The closer he gets to Lake Geneva, the more intense his emotions, his anxiety, his uncertainty.
SAY GOD BYE is the story of an obsession; it is also a story about the universal theme of love. It is the story of a man who finally summons the courage to seek out his beloved, to tell him face to face about his lifelong love and to say, “Thank you, JLG”.
We delve into this teenager's past, from his conception in the Paris of A Bout de Souffle, where his parents were working at the time, to his first forays into filmmaking.
Fascinated by the already legendary filmmaker, Thomas dreams of becoming his assistant. He writes to JLG, asking him if he could "look over his shoulder" while he is at work. JLG never answers.
Rejected by the master, the teenager must now find his own way as a filmmaker until that day in 2021 when he senses JLG's end is near. Thomas decides to visit the master. On foot. A pilgrimage to pay his (last) respects.His aim is to meet JLG in person. Thomas Imbach dreams of filming not the master, but WITH the master, for which reason d, he has packed his Aaton camera in his backpack. The closer he gets to Lake Geneva, the more intense his emotions, his anxiety, his uncertainty.
SAY GOD BYE is the story of an obsession; it is also a story about the universal theme of love. It is the story of a man who finally summons the courage to seek out his beloved, to tell him face to face about his lifelong love and to say, “Thank you, JLG”.
“Jean-Luc Godard is like a sun, as soon as you get too close to it, you burn. If you ignore it, you miss the light.” Respected Swiss director Thomas Imbach on the “God of Cinema” who, as both man and filmmaker, has kept him spellbound his whole life. Chancing upon images of the ailing grand master, he was inspired to set off on foot on a pilgrimage from Lakes Zurich to Geneva to pay tribute to Godard and to attempt to persuade the latter to film with him. An original and playful diary filmed on an iPhone and on 35mm during the trip, where loyal pilgrim Imbach looks back at his own career and conducts a dialogue with his magnetic role model. A road movie conceived – literally, “on his own two feet” – as an informed Godard masterclass about perceiving the world through cinema and much else besides.
Karel Och KVIFF
Karel Och KVIFF
