THE BLOCK introduces us to four sad figures living in a run-down East German prefab building: Hans-Joachim dreams of his great love. Silvio shoots out the lamps in former Soviet barracks. Olga wants to return to bombed-out Grozny; being alone is worse than war. Natalya cleanses her body with nettles and snow. The camera captures them in their cramped one-room apartments in extreme close-up, showing the pores of their skin and dandruff. Even in delicate moments, it does not keep its distance. In this way, we closely experience their precarious situation on the margins of society.
