Cleaning & Cleansing

Thomas Fürhapter Austria 2024 92 min.

From the impressive automation of an industrial laundromat to the smallest bulb of a majestic antique chandelier being dusted with a feather, from a space station being vacuumed to an operating table made sterile again after being used. You name it, and it will be cleaned at some point, by someone. A fascinating cinematic study of cleaning practices for all the ‘Mr Clean’s' among us, and for all those who rather watch intense cleaning than do it themselves. 

A high-tech cleanroom that must be completely dust-free, immense sewage pipes being unclogged, a Renaissance painting being cleaned with a cotton swab and angelic patience, a surgeon's hands that must not only be clean but also sterile, the purifying incense in a Catholic church... With remarkably ‘clean’ editing and great sound design that perfectly complements the images, this mosaic documentary immerses you in cleaning practices in a hugely varied range of working, institutional and social environments. 

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