Abandoned landscapes of urban decay portend an ominous future in this…
Matter Out of Place
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Waste on the shores, waste on the mountains. On ocean floors and deep down in the earth. The term “matter out of place” refers to objects in a place they originally do not belong to. And there are many such objects in the places Nikolaus Geyrhalter visits for this film.
In his unique imagery consisting of minutely composed pictures, the director traces immense amounts of waste across our planet. He travels from the mountain tops of Switzerland to the coasts of Greece and Albania, into an Austrian refuse incinerator and then to Nepal and the Maldives, and finally to the deserts of Nevada.
MATTER OUT OF PLACE is about human-made refuse, which is surrounding us all the time everywhere. On his journey, Geyrhalter illustrates the sheer endless struggle of people to gain control over the vast amounts of waste that we produce every single day. Collecting, shredding, burning, burying – a Sisyphean task, which ostensibly solves the global problem of rubbish that is stealthily growing.
“A visually gorgeous, even pristine, movie about, well, garbage. ... But this is no navel-gazing exercise in aestheticizing detritus or finding beauty in ugly places. Rather, Geyrhalter’s keen, rigorous tableaux provoke us to think about the massive global industry required to deal with the rubbish we so casually generate in our everyday culture of disposability.” —The New York Times
“Mesmerizing and strangely beautiful.” —Variety
“Matter Out Of Place is a typically sober, observational and engrossing work of ecological-anthropological documentary from Austrian maestro Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Here is a director quite easy to take for granted, but who is painstakingly assembling an impressive cinematic corpus, intelligently engaged with some of the most pressing issues of our times.” —Screen Daily
“Hypnotic, perfect compositions.” —The Film Verdict
“A transfixing as well as a disturbing documentary on our trash problem. We are living in the dawn of Anthropocene and Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s wide-ranging views of the garbage-filled landscape add to the many resounding alarm bells for humanity.” —High on Films
“Exposes the squalid world of refuse in a way that is both horrifying and compelling. Artfully framed and (delightfully) without dialogue or explanation Geyrhalter lets his startling pictures tell a grim story.” —Filmuforia
“This beautifully made film presents a multi-layered, piercingly intelligent account of waste as a formidable symbol of development and destruction caused by humankind.” —International Cinephile Society
“This year's most riveting film about garbage.” —Global Comment
Citation
Main credits
Geyrhalter, Nikolaus (film director)
Geyrhalter, Nikolaus (director of photography)
Other credits
Editor, Samira Ghahremani.
Distributor subjects
Agriculture; Biology; Business and Economics; Cultural Anthropology; Ecology; Economic Sociology; Economics; Environment; Ethics; Food; Globalization; Nature; Science and Technology; Science/Technology; Urban StudiesKeywords
; "Matter Out of Place"; Icarus Films; documentary; doc; garbage; waste; agriculture; biology; science; technology; environment; ecology; food; ; "Matter Out of Place"; Icarus Films; trash
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[wind whirring]
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[vehicle whirring]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[footsteps walking]
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[person laughing]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[soil pouring]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[water crashing]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[people chattering]
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[water gushing]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[whistle blowing]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[bag banging]
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[door knocking]
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[whistle blowing]
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[dogs barking]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[vehicle whirring]
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[cars beeping]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[animals bleating]
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[upbeat music]
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[truck beeping]
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[bags whirring]
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[vehicles beeping]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[liquid bubbling]
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[insects buzzing]
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[animals bleating]
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[birds chirping]
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[footsteps walking]
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[motor whirring]
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[people chattering]
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[bags whirring]
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[machine whirring]
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[machine whirring]
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[door banging]
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[machine beeping]
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[objects clinking]
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We thank you for your visit
80
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and looking forward
to see you again,
81
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have a good journey.
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[speaking in foreign language]
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[birds chirping]
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[insects buzzing]
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[fire whooshing]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[vehicle whirring]
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[machine whirring]
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[plastic whirring]
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[machine whirring]
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[vehicle whirring]
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[waves crashing]
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[footsteps walking]
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[water bubbling]
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[person breathing]
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[people breathing]
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[thunder]
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[machine creaking]
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[objects crashing]
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[machine whirring]
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[objects clattering]
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[fire crackling]
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[objects falling]
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[machine whirring]
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[machine whirring]
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[objects clinking]
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[machine whirring]
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[soil pouring]
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[machines whirring]
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[person sweeping]
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[objects clinking]
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[machines whirring]
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[sand pouring]
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[machines beeping]
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[people chattering]
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[upbeat music]
163
01:32:05.480 --> 01:32:08.200
[bikes whirring]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[upbeat music]
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[audience cheering]
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[upbeat music]
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[fire works banging]
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01:35:27.800 --> 01:35:30.360
[upbeat music]
170
01:35:44.600 --> 01:35:47.320
[fire crackling]
171
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[vehicles whirring]
172
01:36:10.960 --> 01:36:13.240
The garbage and the
garbage burrito.
173
01:36:13.240 --> 01:36:15.920
So this will be
our garbage burrito
174
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but be careful cause
it\'s moody as fuck.
175
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[muttering]
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[vehicles whirring]
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[objects clinking]
178
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[wind blowing]
179
01:37:37.920 --> 01:37:41.000
[objects clattering]
180
01:37:47.160 --> 01:37:48.560
So spread out a little bit more,
181
01:37:48.560 --> 01:37:51.280
spread out the edges
a little bit more.
182
01:37:51.280 --> 01:37:52.680
Spread out the edges
a little bit more.
183
01:37:52.680 --> 01:37:54.400
Angela, move a little left.
184
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There you go, there you go.
185
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A little bit over, there you go.
186
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It\'s probably good enough.
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Game on.
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Game on.
189
01:38:02.000 --> 01:38:04.320
Course.
190
01:38:04.320 --> 01:38:09.240
I got a cheesecake,
anybody need a cheesecake?
191
01:38:12.720 --> 01:38:17.720
Seen some floss, at
least I hope it\'s floss.
192
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It might have been a costume.
193
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Blue string.
194
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[people chattering]
195
01:38:32.680 --> 01:38:33.680
Over here.
196
01:38:36.120 --> 01:38:38.800
You should get extra
bleach for hair.
197
01:38:38.800 --> 01:38:39.640
Did somebody lose the contact?
198
01:38:39.640 --> 01:38:40.600
I found one over here.
199
01:38:40.600 --> 01:38:42.320
I\'ve got a left contact.
200
01:38:42.320 --> 01:38:43.160
Left contact.
201
01:38:45.280 --> 01:38:46.120
Still looking for the right.
202
01:38:47.640 --> 01:38:50.840
Can you look and see
what magnification it is?
203
01:38:50.840 --> 01:38:53.680
[person shouting]
204
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[objects clinking]
205
01:39:15.080 --> 01:39:19.000
So when we\'re done doing
all our line seats,
206
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we\'re actually gonna look,
207
01:39:20.360 --> 01:39:22.040
we\'re gonna get all our
moop buckets together
208
01:39:22.040 --> 01:39:23.320
and we\'re gonna just take a look
209
01:39:23.320 --> 01:39:24.200
at what we\'ve got
210
01:39:25.720 --> 01:39:27.040
and see if that
actually holds up
211
01:39:27.040 --> 01:39:28.560
to that one square
foot per acre.
212
01:39:28.560 --> 01:39:33.520
We basically just did like an
acre and a half, two acres.
213
01:39:35.560 --> 01:39:39.680
This lovely little cluster
right here, let\'s spread out.
214
01:39:44.280 --> 01:39:47.360
[objects clattering]
215
01:40:00.080 --> 01:40:02.360
Don\'t get attached to
your matter outta place.
216
01:40:02.360 --> 01:40:03.840
[people laughing]
217
01:40:03.840 --> 01:40:05.360
Otherwise you need
a giant Ziploc bag
218
01:40:05.360 --> 01:40:07.640
of dirty crap in
a rubber made bin.
219
01:40:10.200 --> 01:40:11.640
Stuck in the bottom.
220
01:40:11.640 --> 01:40:13.800
Don\'t worry about it.
221
01:40:13.800 --> 01:40:15.320
Yeah, great job everybody.
222
01:40:15.320 --> 01:40:16.440
Look what you guys did.
223
01:40:16.440 --> 01:40:17.360
Nice work.
224
01:40:17.360 --> 01:40:19.400
[people cheering]
225
01:40:19.400 --> 01:40:20.240
Leave no trace.
226
01:40:20.240 --> 01:40:21.080
Leave no trace.
227
01:40:21.080 --> 01:40:22.560
Awesome.
228
01:40:22.560 --> 01:40:24.720
All right, so we still got,
this is the halfway mark.
229
01:40:25.680 --> 01:40:26.880
[person laughing]
230
01:40:26.880 --> 01:40:28.120
Of today.
231
01:40:28.120 --> 01:40:29.520
Yes.
232
01:40:29.520 --> 01:40:31.080
What about batteries
233
01:40:31.080 --> 01:40:32.720
or other toxic things that we
don\'t wanna go in the landfil?
234
01:40:32.720 --> 01:40:33.960
Separate.
235
01:40:33.960 --> 01:40:36.120
Yeah, we keep it, we
can separate that.
236
01:40:36.120 --> 01:40:39.240
You know, we know that
batteries need to go separately.
237
01:40:40.680 --> 01:40:43.440
Anything else, any
other questions?
238
01:40:43.440 --> 01:40:44.720
All right, pretty good.
239
01:40:44.720 --> 01:40:46.680
All right, so then now
we\'re gonna line up
240
01:40:46.680 --> 01:40:48.160
and we\'re gonna walk this way.
241
01:40:50.360 --> 01:40:53.000
[sand whirring]
242
01:40:55.280 --> 01:40:57.880
The endless river.
243
01:41:00.600 --> 01:41:02.400
Breast stroke here.
244
01:41:03.040 --> 01:41:04.720
Breast stroke there.
245
01:41:17.600 --> 01:41:21.720
Painting the desert they
said, it\'d be fun they said.
246
01:41:22.840 --> 01:41:25.640
[person laughing]
247
01:41:33.680 --> 01:41:36.600
[person breathing]
248
01:42:01.480 --> 01:42:02.520
Got some big pieces here.
249
01:42:02.520 --> 01:42:04.160
Yeah, I know, right.
250
01:42:04.160 --> 01:42:05.000
We should have moved it.
251
01:42:05.880 --> 01:42:07.800
But you know, move as you go,
252
01:42:08.960 --> 01:42:11.680
anything bigger than
your half your pinky,
253
01:42:13.120 --> 01:42:15.880
otherwise it\'ll break up
and the wind will get it.
254
01:42:15.880 --> 01:42:18.200
Okay, so with this stuff,
we just crumble it.
255
01:42:19.560 --> 01:42:22.600
Well, you can, I\'d actually
just rather take it,
256
01:42:22.600 --> 01:42:24.800
put it in the moop
bucket over there.
257
01:42:24.800 --> 01:42:26.200
Yeah.
258
01:42:26.200 --> 01:42:27.440
But right now I
got my back pocket.
259
01:42:27.440 --> 01:42:28.880
[person laughing]
260
01:42:28.880 --> 01:42:30.240
It\'s getting full though.
261
01:42:30.240 --> 01:42:31.640
Yep.
262
01:42:31.640 --> 01:42:32.440
What\'s that?
263
01:42:37.680 --> 01:42:38.720
I thought I saw a metal.
264
01:42:40.520 --> 01:42:41.920
Eh, it\'s sunset.
265
01:42:41.920 --> 01:42:45.080
The shadows are
casting their thing.
266
01:42:49.560 --> 01:42:50.400
Where were we?
267
01:42:55.280 --> 01:42:56.280
Oh yeah.
268
01:42:58.800 --> 01:43:00.720
Got these chunks.
269
01:43:04.680 --> 01:43:05.520
All right.
270
01:43:08.560 --> 01:43:11.480
[brushes whirring]
