Neighbors

How do people live under one roof? How is democracy and solidarity reflected on a small scale?

The short documentary Neighbors (6 min.) presents a brief portrait of how contemporary Switzerland is reflected in a Zurich apartment building. Inspired by Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Talking Head, residents aged 3 to 92 were asked the same two questions: Who are you? What do you want?

Through the editing of their answers, a multifaceted picture of community emerges. Neighbors shows what connects people, how individual stories and desires shape a shared life, and how neighborhood life serves as a mirror of society.

This film was part of the Art and Democracy project.

In Switzerland, 60% of people live in rental apartments – and share a washing machine.

No joke.
My friends abroad can hardly believe it:
One of the richest countries in the world – and you can only do laundry once every two weeks?

What sounds absurd has historical roots:
In the post-war period, washing machines were expensive and had to be shared.
Even today, many apartment buildings have a laundry schedule in the basement that residents must follow.

But what does this have to do with democracy?
More than you might think.

In shared spaces, people meet.
This is where coexistence is negotiated – who washes when, who takes care of the chores, who gets frustrated.
It’s democracy in action on a small scale.

As part of the project “Art and Democracy,” we explored
how people live together under one roof –
and how democracy manifests in everyday life.

Credits

Director: Sonja Schenkel

Research: Damian Christinger

Camera: Carlotta Holy

Edit: Anna Rüegsegger

Sound: Arian Frank

produced by Storytex