A sad loser of a man, Aloys Adorn is a private investigator living in the past. Still mourning the death of his father he is unable to move on in his life, and his clothes, decor, even the technology he employs, show how out of touch he has become. He scrapes a living gathering evidence for seedy divorce cases. So when he finds his video camera and a load of tapes have been stolen he panics.
A mystery phone call tells him he will have his precious items returned if he participates in an activity the caller refers to as "Telephone Walking". And Aloys finds himself drawn into an existence that blurs fantasy and reality, and begins to play with his mind.
It's underplayed, gloriously confusing, and beautifully shot, with a succession of stunning images being played out on the screen. There's a narrative that's almost a non-story and an inherent sadness to the character, which combine to fascinate. At the post-screening Q&A the director admitted it was mostly a 'festival film', and that it had already failed commercially in it's native Switzerland.
Black, bleak, stylised and stylish, Aloys isn't for everyone, but if you appreciate the oddities of life it might just be your thing.
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