Foreign Affairs

Observing the homo politicus and his behavior in his natural habitat. That was Pasha Rafiy's reason for accompanying Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn for 18 months with his camera. Doors normally closed to outsiders, opened. At the Security Council, as well as during state visits around the globe – we can watch the powerful of this world while managing volatile crises. Rafiy punctuates his access by being the proverbial fly on the wall. His protagonist never faces the camera, information is only given through the narrative. When Asselborn makes a deal in the backseat of a limousine via cell phone or in private conversations – the audience is a secret observer. When Russia's state security takes Asselborn through Moscow's streets in speeding limousines, we are in the middle of a political thriller. And when the minister puts his feet up at home and takes a nap on his couch, we hold our breath, as if not to wake him. One is reminded of a film that ran contrary to all rules of documentary filmmaking, but became more authentic because of it. In this respect Foreign Affairs is the Truth or Dare of political movies. Or Jang, as Luxembourgian citizens call him fondly, is the pop-star of European politics. (Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg)