The Clinic

The open ward of a psychiatric hospital, a receptacle for people who were ejected from the world of social market economy, and are clearly in no hurry to return. Martin used to be successful in advertising, until he discovered that he was HIV positive, his wife and children left him and he had a breakdown. Maud, 52, a secretary, suffers every few years from bouts of depression that are getting gradually worse. Markus is a schizophrenic and has been here forever. Mohamed who is waiting to hear about his application for asylum, had to witness the murder of his family in Bosnia by Serbian neighbors. Roger, a skinhead, is prone to wild outbursts of violence and verbal abuse. Sofia is anorexic and feels ancient although she is only 18. In their seclusion, they are circling each other, characters on the margins of the "new mainstream" who retreated into a "safe" area. But here, too, the community pursues egotistic interests and rules of hierarchy, frustration and aggression is being taken out on the weakest, and dying is oppressively real.