During the Venice Film Festival 2026 we spoke with Manuel Wetscher, director and co-writer of the film Eklipse presented here in the Orizzonti section of the festival. During our conversation, we discussed the autobiographical elements of the film, a exploring the themes of HIV illness, emancipation, and mostly ignorance and stigma. The film then delves into personal experiences, transforming into fiction and shedding a light on how personal memories influence cinematic storytelling and exploring the director’s artistic process and message.
The interview
During our interview with FRED FIlmmRadio, the director Manuel Wetscher explained that in the film Eklipse there was no clear line between personal memories and storytelling. He emphasizes that working with Bernard Jarosch on the screenplay was indeed about pursuing the story and capturing real emotional truths. Wetscher also highlighted how the use of VHS material from his childhood was used, which was incorporated mainly during editing and blending personal material with fictional elements.
Wetscher shared insights into the physical and sensory approach of the film, influenced by artists like Steve McQueen, who translates physicality into cinematic experiences. Talking about the persistent stigma surrounding HIV still today despite medical progress, Manuel Wetscher reflected instead on how placing the Eklipse story in 1999 is a way to highlight the ongoing challenge of confronting this stigma, in a gap between scientific reality and societal perceptions that’s still too big. Wetscher advocates for films like Eklipse to raise awareness and foster understanding, especially in a globally affected landscape where populist distrust of science exacerbates the problem.
Plot
Tomy and his best friend Chris spend the summer of 1999 at an alpine dairy. They help Tomy’s uncle with the milking, build a dam and explore the great outdoors. Whilst the boys are discovering new worlds, Tomy’s mother decides to continue keeping the real reason why his father is in hospital a secret from her son. When Chris learns that Tomy’s father is in hospital with "the gay disease", he becomes frightened – and Tomy is suddenly confronted with rejection and his own family’s silence.