Pharao Bipolar

Pharao Bipolar

A 2008, 60 min, DV, 4:3
Mischief Films – Vienna

PHARAOH BIPOLAR is a filmic borderline experience in the field of tension between art and disease, and an encounter with actor Werner Ludvig Buchmayer, who has suffered from bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) since he was fifteen. The film accompanies the artist in both his professional and private life, during which emergency situations often arise. Production of his own “pharaoh film” is documented from the first auditions to the premiere, and Werner’s highs on the set and crashes at psychiatric wards are observed. PHARAOH BIPOLAR engages in a search for individuals who are caught between two extreme poles. The protagonist’s inner conflict is reflected in society’s reactions to him, which brings up two questions: Who’s really crazy, and who’s normal?

Awards

Festivals

Synopsis

In November 2005 directors Bernhard Braunstein and David Gross met Salzburg actor Werner Ludvig Buchmayer for the first time. While dressed in a pharaoh costume, he complained to the mayor because the city of Salzburg failed to provided sufficient support for his film projects. From the very first second the filmmakers represent more than just observers, and are part of the action. On the day of this meeting an explosive foray across the city begins, and then culminates in a visit of Werner’s mother. He makes the two directors his “assistants,” and after a few weeks they’ve become accomplices. One and a half years later they’re friends who follow Werner and support him on his often difficult path.

In an extremely moving way Braunstein and Gross illustrate in PHARAOH BIPOLAR where one can find the center of an individual who moves between two extreme states, though a great deal is still a mystery at the end. What remains is an awareness-raising encounter with a bipolar individual that will change and enrich everyone involved.

The intimacy and intensity between the filmmakers and their protagonist is outstanding, as is the multilayered personality of Werner Ludvig Buchmayer. The film shows us an individual who tries to live with his psychological illness, his difficulties with the world around him, his view of the people he lives and interacts with. PHARAOH BIPOLAR is much more than a portrait of an artist, it’s a film about a bipolar individual and how he deals with, and what he thinks about, his illness. This is a powerful look at the world of individuals with psychological problems, and an attempt to better understand them and increase understanding in the world in general.

Directors’ Note

Werner Ludvig Buchmayer’s story is relevant to everyone. All individuals experience mood swings, though some are more extreme than others. But what happens when these common phenomena turn into psychological crises that are unacceptable for the other members of society? What goes on inside a person suffering from bipolar disorder? How does this illness affect his or her friends and relatives, and how do outsiders react? The answers to these questions will make us carefully rethink our definitions of normal and crazy.

This film will help eliminate fear of bipolar disorder and increase understanding for what’s taking place inside individuals with a psychological condition. Bipolar disorder is one of the most common psychological illnesses in Central Europe: According to Forum Bipolar some 400,000 Austrians suffer from it, and in Germany the figure is much higher than two million.