Neil Young (uk critic / curator, viennale 2020)

Neil Young

A new work of deceptive formal complexity and surprising emotional depth from prolific writer-director-producer-cinematographer Ludwig Wüst (KOMA, Viennale 2009). Essentially a walking-and- talking two-hander in which former pals Martin and Anthony renew their connection after a 15-year gap, 3.30PM examines friendship, communication, technology, history, and memory: decidedly big topics, tackled head-on and with touches of unsettling humor. Working with a lo-fi camera worn for much of the running-time by one of the characters (who is recording proceedings for reasons which only later become apparent), Bavaria-born, longtime Vienna- based Wüst captures his adopted city and its environs in fresh and surprising ways. He makes especially striking use of the vast rubble- strewn area behind Praterstern station, which at the time of filming was in the early stages of its transformation into a “smart” new neighborhood. Wüst – a carpenter by trade, with extensive theate- directing experience – positions himself in opposition to such bland and monolithic expressions of pseudo-modernity. Using the most basic cinematic tools, he now reasserts his status as one of the last free-spirited independents among Europe’s narrative-oriented filmmakers.