Slumming

In Michael Glawogger's SLUMMING, three lost souls – poet Franz Kallman, super-sleek slacker Sebastian, and schoolteacher Pia-grapple, albeit unknowingly, to discover their own identities. Their lives become entwined through the roguish antics of Sebastian, a self-proclaimed doer of “nothing” who fills his days taunting others and objectifying women he meets on the internet. When Sebastian finds Kallman passed out on a park bench, he rashly decides to abandon the unconscious drunk in the Czech Republic without an I.D. Sebastian confesses this to Pia, his most recent fling. Disgusted by Sebastian's confession, Pia resolves to find the lost Kallman. As Sebastian searches for Pia, Pia searches for Kallman, and Kallman searches for Vienna-each character's quest becomes a process of self-discovery. In a film about watching the lives of strangers for fun, Glawogger skillfully embroils us in this voyeuristic sport. (In German with English Subtitles) – E.J.B.