Alois Nebel at Gate Picturehouse

It’s coming to the end of the 1980s, and as reports filter through that the Berlin Wall is coming down, an event that has huge significance for his country and the wider world, there appears to be little so dramatic in the life of Alois Nebel. Alois is an introverted loner working at a small train station in Bílý Potok, a remote village on the Czech-Polish border, who doesn’t much seem to care for the company of others. Yet he is often plagued by dreams of a dense fog descending, and haunted by memories dating back to events during World War II. When a mysterious mute man turns up on the station platform clutching an old photograph, the resulting consequences provoke Alois on a journey of self-discovery. Adapted from the graphic novels of Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromír 99, Alois Nebel is a sophisticated and serious-minded reflection on recent history that is technically stunning in its use of seductive black and white rotoscope animation. The dreamlike visuals and fairy tale elements of the film don’t detract from its humane agenda or political concerns; indeed, these elements complement each other perfectly.