Michiel von Erp presents cases of anxiety disorders in a documentary that unveils hard-to-pinpoint behaviors.

Angst presents with calmness 5 stories of persons with anxiety disorders in Amsterdam. There is a need for these stories to be made clear to the ones who have absolutely no idea how horrifying this situation might be.

A young girl has developed a compulsive shower behavior, being afraid that she's not 'clean' enough. A pharmacist cannot leave his home and does not dare to come close to his balcony. A girl is afraid to sleep in the dark, and a lady who was a victim of an attack in Venezuela still carries her post-traumatic stress.

Some stories may look more eccentric than others. However, it is to the credit of the film that it handles all cases as diseases to be cured, not idiosyncracies to get away with. All film subjects follow cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their progress is meticulously registered -even their disappointment and the starting of a new therapy (from cardiac resonance to running therapy). Angst lends a helping, tender hand to anxiety subjects in a society that is conspicuously lonely.

Even though its slow pacing and melancholic tone may discourage energetic viewing, Angst presents effortlessly converging narrative stories that are in the end unmistakably human.

CREDITS:
Angst, 2009
Director: Michiel von Erp
Writer: René van't Erve Cinematography: Jelle Odé Editor: Hinne Brouwer
Music: Truus Melissen, Louis ter Burg Running time: 95'