Paul Kalkbrenner
KABELMANN
This is KABELMANN. These are his cables. And this is his story. In a twelve-minute music short, we follow Kabelmann on his search for belonging. From the forest to society, from aggression to love and back again, Kabelmann makes his way through our world. His cables hold him back, until they don’t. But is it enough to save his life?
KABELMANN is a twelve-minute music short in two acts. It stars an otherworldly hero: Kabelmann, a man hardwired to never-ending cables that lead into the unknown. Over two tracks by Paul Kalkbrenner, we follow Kabelmann on a journey through normal spaces that become strange just because he’s there. He repels most of the people he meets with the strange frequency he gives off and lack of all social graces. But for the ones who also march to the beat of their own drum, Kabelmann’s frequency is music.
The first film opens on black cables coiled on the forest floor. The cables lead to Kabelmann. He travels from the forest toward the town, lurching as he walks, with the cables trailing endlessly behind him. He’s curious about the people he meets, and he tries to connect. But he is too different, too strange. And there’s a power inside him that hurts people with just a touch. Trying to make friends, he ends up with enemies. Until he meets her. The woman is an outsider too. From the moment their eyes lock in a deli, the connection is undeniable. But Kabelmann’s enemies are already closing in.
The second film is a fantasy, a romantic dream. The woman teaches Kabelmann how to dance, smoke cigarettes, and eat cake. But brutal reality is crashing in on their perfect world. The lovers ignore the violence until they can’t anymore. The daydream shatters and we find Kabelmann and the woman back in the deli in a pool of blood. His enemies take their revenge, but Kabelmann won’t go down without a fight.
KABELMANN is part love story, part odyssey, and part bloodbath. It’s directed by Björn Rühmann and produced with Smuggler and Zauberberg. The story is created by Mother Berlin. It’s inspired by the creative process of the artist himself, Paul Kalkbrenner.
