Unrest
In 1877, in a watch factory in a valley in north-western Switzerland, Josephine produces balance spindles, tiny parts that ensure the agitation movement (“unrueh") of the mechanical watches. She soon grows uneasy with the organisation of work and possession in the village and its factory and joins the anarchist worker movement of the local watchmakers. There she meets Piotr Kropotkin, a moony Russian traveller. The two of them meet at a time when new technologies such as time measurement, photography, and the telegraph are transforming the social order, and anarchist discourse is addressing emerging nationalism. During a walk in the woods, Josephine and Piotr ask themselves whether time, money, and the government are not all but fictions.
Cast
Clara Gostynski
as Josephine Gräbli
Alexei Evstratov
as Pyotr Kropotkin
Monika Stalder
as Mireille Paratte
Hélio Thiémard
as Claire Gysin
Li Tavor
as Mila Fuchs
Valentin Merz
as Factory Director Roulet
Laurence Bretignier
as Louise Liechti
Laurent Ferrero
as Gendarme Payard
Mayo Irion
as Photographer Clément
Daniel Stähli
as Operational Planner Stähli
Reviews
badelf
Based on Pyotr Kropotkin's "Memoirs of a Revolutionist," Cyril Schäublin's "Unrueh" is fascinating and surprisingly easy to watch despite its deliberate pacing. The film's stylism is exceptional, successfully recreating the atmosphere of 1870s Swiss watchmaking culture with meticulous attention to d...
