The directorial debut of Leon Schwitter, Retreat stars Peter Hottinger as a father who takes his son (Dorian Heiniger) into the remote Swiss mountains in the belief that
society is on the brink of collapse.
Retreat will be having its World Premiere at Mar del Plata International Film
Festival and European Premiere at Thessaloniki International Film
Festival. Both festivals commence on November 3rd.
"We are increasingly confronted with a collapsing planet and have to ask
ourselves questions about our lives and the lives of future generations,"
says Schwitter. "It would take a global paradigm shift to make our society sustainable and
future-proof. This cannot be achieved by technological change alone, but
also means giving up comfort and privileges. This is a dilemma that we
humans do not like to face. More and more voices are emerging that have less
and less hope for a brighter future. Dealing with these problems divides our
society into countless factions. While some seek access to nature and strive
for a life with fewer resources, others see humanity at a fragile point and
have already given up hope in a collective solution. One growing current in
this regard is the so-called doomsday prepper movement. Driven by various
fears, these people often feel abandoned by the state and society and
prepare themselves to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones in
the event of an emergency. If one wants complete security, one must isolate oneself from one’s
community and go into seclusion. The myth of the mountains as a place of
retreat is deeply rooted in Swiss history. Even before the Second World War,
work began on hollowing out the Alps and fortifying them with countless
bunkers, where a small percentage of society would have retreated in the
event of an invasion. The name of these bunkers was Réduit
national. I chose a place near these bunkers to tell the story of a distant
father-son relationship. Retreat isn’t meant to be a classic
survival film. There are no extreme disasters to deal with and the character
of the father is not an experienced survivalist, but an inexperienced, soft
man who does not fit the stereotype of the genre. In a diary-like structure,
we follow father and son as they slowly get closer. They don’t know each
other well, yet feel a connection. Their relationship is fragile and much
needs to be made up for. During this time of getting to know each other, the
son becomes more and more aware that his father is hiding a side from him
that is dominated by fears. Vacation transforms into imprisonment, nature as
friend turns into nature as enemy, and love transforms into violence."
Check out the trailer and poster below.
The official synopsis reads:
On a holiday in the mountains, an estranged father and son get to know each other better. Sheltered by the rocky landscape, Michael believes that he and his son are safe from the outside world, which is crumbling under the impact of environmental destruction and economic crises.
