THE ART OF SILENCE

While legendary pantomime Marcel Marceau entertained audiences on stages around the world, much of his tragic history and influence remains hidden off stage. In the first feature documentary about Marceau’s life, director Maurizius Staerkle Drux portrays the performer behind the painted mask as a deeply complex, sensitive and compassionate man whose art was rooted in experiences of atrocities in the Second World War and his time in the French Resistance. With exquisite cinematography and poetry, family, friends and former protégées gather to pay tribute to this legend. Christoph Staerkle, a celebrated Swiss mime who was born deaf, tells us how Marceau’s silent performances transformed his experience of the world. Rob Mermin, a former student of Marceau’s, explores how mime impacted his movement after his Parkinson’s diagnosis. Finally, Marceau’s wife Anne Sicco, two daughters and grandson speak to his more personal side as they prepare for the theatrical production of “Fractales. Temps Zéro,” an homage to Marceau.