Zement

At first glance idyllic landscape images from Salzkammergut expose traces of the Nazi past. Shots remain static; a woman’s voice dryly contributing information from off screen is all that clarifies the context within contemporary history. As soon as the film moves to the residential area founded on the site of the concentration camp shortly after the end of the war, we are surprised of the lack of sensitivity in dealing with the past. The camp’s gate remains standing, as a memorial. Walking through it, one arrives at the houses located close by the cemetery for the victims. Zement focuses on the ambiguity of this proximity of commemorative site and settlement. There are hardly any people visible in the images, silence reigns, and yet we hear about memorial celebrations that were disturbed by the sounds of lawn mowers. Everyday life at a site where all ordinary life seems out of place—or was it truly an act of ignorance?