Marcel Wyss
Switzerland | 2012 | 40 min
World premiere
Language : Swiss German
Subtitle : English
Cocaine is perfect for an intensive night of partying, says the young man with the unrecognizable face. Cocaine is a novelty of capitalism, says the tightrope artist – whose long-term cocaine use to get through his circus act brought him close to death. An open, atmospheric discussion of the pros and cons of cocaine as the means to a more exciting life, but one over which the threat of addiction hangs like the Sword of Damocles.
Cocaine is the perfect drug for an intensive night of partying when work leaves scarcely any time for leisure. The drug helps you be that decisive bit “cooler, better, cleverer”, says Tim, with whom we spend a night in the flats, clubs and toilets of Berne. In the film, the young man’s face is covered with the image of another man, but is the mask intended to protect him from being recognized or does it mirror a certain inconsistency in his statements?
Cocaine, that novelty of capitalism, is a contradiction in itself, says Marco, who comes from a different generation and consumer culture. But it is important to talk about its positive aspects too, he adds. In the past, the wiry artist snorted cocaine for a long time. Tightrope walks were easier with cocaine. However, soon he needed a line before every circus act he performed, until it seemed to his restless spirit that suicide was the only path to inner peace.
Over brunch together, they talk about the use of this means to enhancing excitement in life – a means over which the threat of addiction hangs like the Sword of Damocles. Work Hard Play Hard atmospherically offers the viewer an open discussion about the white powder.
Jenny Billeter