Was übersetzt ist noch nicht angekommen is a personal travelogue of a New York night of several cab journeys, filmed without frills and largely in real time. Jeff, an acquaintance of Pilz and also filmaaker, regularly earns some extra cash as a cab-driver. We first see him in a colleague’s taxi: Jeff can’t get into his own cab because he left the keys in. This first journey is a conversation between drivers. The next trip, when Jeff heads into the night and goes to spots in Manhattan where people might need a ride (nightclubs, discos), results in a conversation about people, life and art. Most important is the unexpected encounter, the unique aspect of riding in a cab. The film is a lot shorter than the ten-hour Let’s Sit Down Before We Leave, screened last year at Rotterdam, which looked at Pilz’ adventures in Siberia, but does not differ substantially in its approach. Michael Pilz: ‘I like things like this: chance and imagination. What always interests me in filming is the chance of finding something “otherwise than being or, beyond essence” (Emmanuel Lévinas). When seeing people don’t see what they don’t see.’
