Artificial Paradise

Los Angeles in 1935. Fritz Lang receives in his hotel apartment the young film amateur Willy, who wants to prepare an interview with him. At a certain moment Lang starts relating how, as an army officer in the First World War, he spent some time in the house of the lawyer Karol Gatnik in a small town in the northeast of Slovenia. Lang makes friends with Gatnik and gets aquainted with all members of his family. When Lang finds out that Gatnik is a passionate film amateur and that he also possesses his own camera, they make a film together. This is probably Lang’s first contact with cinematography. Late at night Lang looks at the photographs in Los Angeles and revives in his spirit the imaginary meeting with his friend Gatnik.

Directed by Karpo Aćimović Godina, Artificial Paradise leans on a strong ensemble — Jürgen Morche, Vlado Novak, Željko Ivanek — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1990.