Say God Bye

Say God Bye
Movie poster
Directed by	Thomas Imbach
Produced by	Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka
Starring	Jean-Luc Godard, Thomas Imbach and David Charap
Cinematography	Thomas Imbach, David Charap
Edited by	Thomas Imbach, David Charap
Music by	Lukas Langenegger
Production company	Okofilm Productions
Release date	June 2023
Running time	124
Country	Switzerland
Languages	German, English

Say God Bye is a Swiss documentary film by Thomas Imbach from 2023. It premiered in June 2023 as part of the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The Latin American premiere took place as part of the Black Canvas Contemporary Film Festival in Mexico City. In April 2024, the film was also shown at the International Documentary Film Festival Sao Paulo.

Synopsis

Say God Bye tells the story of a teenager who becomes a filmmaker under the influence of cineaste Jean-Luc Godard, who has been living and working on Lake Geneva since 1977. We delve into the teenager's past: from his origins in Paris during Breathless, where his parents were working at the time, to his first steps as a filmmaker. Fascinated by the already legendary filmmaker, Thomas dreams of becoming his assistant. He writes JLG and asks if he can ‘look over his shoulder’ while he works. JLG never answers him. Rejected by his idol, the teenager now has to find his own way as a filmmaker – until that day in 2021 when he senses that JLG is coming to an end. Thomas decides to visit the master. On foot. A pilgrimage to pay his (last) respects. His goal is to meet JLG in person. Thomas Imbach dreams of not filming the master, but of filming WITH the master, and for this reason he has packed his Aaton camera in his backpack. The closer he gets to Lake Geneva, the more intense his emotions become, his fear, his insecurity. ‘’Say God Bye‘’ is the story of an obsession; it is also a story about the universal theme of love. It is the story of a man who finally finds the courage to confront his beloved idol, to tell him about his lifelong admiration and to say, ‘Thank you, JLG’.

Background

Karel Och: ‘JLG is like the sun; if you get too close to it, you'll get burnt. But if you ignore it, you'll miss out on the light.’ Renowned Swiss director Thomas Imbach on the ‘god of cinema’ who has captivated him as a person and a filmmaker throughout his life. When he happened upon images of the ageing grandmaster, he was inspired to embark on a pilgrimage by foot from the lakes of Zurich to Geneva to pay homage to Godard and, at the same time, convince him to film with him. A witty and playful diary, shot on iPhone and 35mm during the trip, in which Imbach the faithful pilgrim looks back over his own career and engages in dialogue with his fascinating role model. A road movie that is literally conceived ‘on its own two feet’ as a Godardian master class – about how cinema perceives the world and much more.

Reception

Patrick Holzapfel: “The pilgrimage to Godard, which for Imbach also means a journey into his own forty years of filmmaking, opens up a space for thought in which the filmmaker has to assert himself against his role model. Time and again, the experiences along the way recall scenes from Godard's films. Trains from today and yesterday meet, the corridors of the Cinémathèque suisse are reminiscent of the Louvre escapes that Godard filmed.”

Marya E. Gates: ‘A road movie conceived – literally on its own two feet – as a Godard-inspired master class on how film perceives the world and much more.’

Martin Kudlac: ‘Imbach creates a hybrid genre – a gonzo meta-documentary – that combines different documentary styles.’

External links

• Say God Bye at IMDb
• official website