Schnaps im Wasserkessel

On the northern coast of Germany, in Eastern Friesland, a huge earthen sea wall protects vilages below sea level. the local people make their own brandy. They also make bricks and grow potatoes. The local coalman who also acts as greengrocer delivers his groceries and spreads the news. An old paralytic lady plays the harmonica and watches out through her binoculars for the hearse carrying her coffin to come. One day, the filmmaker’s grandfather fell into the canal with his bicycle. A film shot by an amateur shows that in 1950 brandy used to be served in kettles to the men who worked in the fields. In this flat country, time seems to flow slowly and the wind blows away the stories told by elderly people.