A darker place has more room for light my friend,
You can start again.
Show kindness in the harder times,
You’re not alone just read between the lines,
You’ll be on my mind.
(“Skin and Bones” – Ryan Keen)
Recently I watched a touching 2014 German road movie called “Hin und weg” (English: “Tour de Force”). It tells the story of a young married man, Hannes, who undergoes his annual bike ride with his lifelong friends without warning them in advance that he is succumbing to motor neurone disease.
The scene in which Hannes reveals his illness is filled with frustration, angst and tears. His mother begins to weep, he explains why he chose Belgium as the final destination for the bike ride and everyone remains seated at the table in a shocked silence. Hannes hadn’t even told his own brother.
Unlike some other films dealing with euthanasia, “Hin und weg” focuses on the psychological rather than the political aspects of the topic. Through emotionally hard-hitting scenes, the viewer experiences directly how Hannes’ battle with motor neurone disease affects him, his friends and his family. Through this, director Christian Zübert allows us to identify with the moral issues surrounding euthanasia and judge for ourselves whether it can be considered an act of “kindness” or not.
Hannes thought that, by keeping his degenerative disease a secret, he and his friends could enjoy the annual road trip as normal without the burden of worry – an act of kindness on his part? When the others find out about his ALS, however, they display true affection towards Hannes by carrying on the journey with him – despite the emotional turmoil involved as they watch him ride ever more slowly and even collapse from his bike.
In fact, the kind-heartedness of Hannes’ friends manifests itself in many ways throughout the film. One night Michael carries out the dare he was assigned during their earlier game – he turns up to the hostel bar in a tight sparkly dress and flirts with a drag queen. By embarrassing himself in this way, Michael commits a true act of kindness and brings a smile to everyone’s faces, allowing Hannes to enjoy what will be his last ever road trip as though nothing was wrong.
Despite some initial reservations, nobody tries to stop Hannes in his journey to the euthanasia clinic. Even his wife, whose heartbreaking grief we witness through close-ups throughout the film, supports him all the way. They all understand that their friend seeks to die out of goodwill rather than selfishness – Hannes does not want to end up being a bedridden burden to his loved ones like his father did.
Although we constantly anticipate Hannes’ death, the film is not a tragic one. The journey is a celebration of life, of love and of everlasting kindness and friendship. The following lyrics from the soundtrack depict this beautifully:
Take off your shoes now
You’ve come a long way
You walked all these miles
And now you’re in the right place
This is your party
Everyone came
Everyone’s smiling
And singing your name
And the nightmares and monsters
Your biggest fears
Seem lightyears away
No, they won’t find you here
I’ll hold your hand, my dear
Make sure no one’s gonna wake you
Tomorrow you’ll still be here
No matter where your dreams will take you
And you realise
All the falls and flights
All the sleepless nights
All the smiles and sighs
They brought you here
They only brought you home
(“July” – Boy)
At the film’s close we hear the touching song “Skin and Bones” by Ryan Keen (see beginning of article). In “Hin und weg” the music truly serves to express emotions that just cannot be grasped in words.
You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjtGjCad0PQ