CITIES OF GHOSTS AND ANGELS

In CITIES OF GHOSTS AND ANGELS, people in Los Angeles and Tokyo bring their unfulfilled desires to life through the film. Strangers from the same cities embody lost, imagined, or longed-for others. Yoshi longs for a stalker to obsessively follow him, driven by a deep feeling of invisibility. Emma longs for the son she never had. Cameron wishes to be the protagonist in his own movie, so he can experience himself as his brother is experienced – a real gang member, someone who is respected. Through these desires, the harsh realities of their social lives, their loneliness, and the pressures of success come to the surface.

The protagonists use the film as a tool for empowerment. While some of their wishes prove better left unrealized, they come to see that reality itself is malleable – something they shape and create through their imagination.

Katarina Schröter photos © Paola Calvo