Auf dem Weg (1989)

The most magnificent expression of Schreiner's longings and the culmination of his first period comes with Auf dem Weg. In this transcendental travelogue, the camera takes off and glides over volcanic landscapes, encompassing colour glimpses of Fra Angelico's Pala dell'Annunciazione, children's paintings and painting children, dedicated rehearsals of Elio Vittorini's Conversazione in Sicila, (an important text for various Schreiner films: Straubians take note!), and a calmly riveting shot of a pregnant belly heaving, accompanied by the sound of breathing. It's a quintessential motif in all Schreiner works: the sound of life itself spreading through the filmic space.