''The Absence'' (; ) is a 1992 French-German-Spanish drama film directed by Peter Handke. It follows the journey of four nameless people: the old man, the woman, the soldier, and the gambler. The film is based on Handke's novella with the same name. It premiered in competition at the

49th Venice International Film Festival The 49th annual Venice Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival was held on 1 to 12 September 1992. Jury The following people comprised the 1992 jury: *Dennis Hopper (head of jury) *Jirí Menzel (head of jury) *Gianni Amelio *Anne Broch ...

Cast

* Bruno Ganz as the gambler *

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

as the writer's wife *

Alex Descas Alex Descas (born 1958) is a French actor known for his roles in films by Claire Denis and Jim Jarmusch. In France he is also known for his role as Schneider in the French TV series ''Un Flic''. He is a frequent collaborator of Claire Denis, app ...

as the soldier * Eustaquio Barjau as the writer * Sophie Semin as the young woman *

Arielle Dombasle Arielle Dombasle (born April 27, 1953)Dombasle's year of birth has been a subject of much debate, and various sources have given dates ranging from 1953 to 1958. is an American-born French singer, actress, director and model. Her breakthrough ro ...

Release

The film premiered on 6 September 1992 in competition at the

. It was released in France on 20 January 1993 and Germany on 24 February 1994.

Reception

Thomas Quinn Curtiss Thomas Quinn Curtiss (June 22, 1915 – July 17, 2000) was an American writer, and film and theater critic. He is also known for his relationship to author Klaus Mann. Early life Curtiss was born on June 22, 1915, in New York City, the son of R ...

wrote in '' The New York Times'': "The movie, being shown at the film festival here, follows four people - an old man, a young woman, a soldier and a player - as they walk about an imaginary topography across continents, hoping to escape from their everyday existence. ... They pontificate and recite monologues, but as they arrive at no conclusions the spectator may wonder whether their journey was really necessary."

References

External links

* 1992 films Films based on works by Peter Handke Films directed by Peter Handke French drama films 1990s French-language films German drama films 1990s German-language films Films with screenplays by Peter Handke Spanish drama films 1990s Spanish-language films 1992 drama films 1992 multilingual films French multilingual films German multilingual films Spanish multilingual films Spanish-language French films 1990s French films 1990s German films French-language Spanish films {{1990s-drama-film-stub