If God is everywhere is he in hell? A young Lou Andreas-Salomé calls this out from a church pew, thus starting her unconventional journey into writing, philosophy and psychoanalysis.
The story is told in flashbacks as an ageing Lou reveals her life to a young man who is writing her memoir. Her eyesight may be fading but her mind is sharp and she selectively reveals the details to her memoirist.
Her beloved father gives the young Lou a postcard of a bookshop before he dies. With her burgeoning interest in philosophy she visits the bookshop featured in the postcard and the proprietor wisely suggests she starts her study of philosophy by reading the Greeks. Old postcards are used at the start of the flashbacks to introduce the scene and each one is a marvellous piece of cinematography.
Lou Andreas-Salomé came from a privileged Russian background. Her diverse interests, strong opinions and sharp intellect led to friendships with Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, the poet Rainer Rilke, and Nietzsche’s friend, philosopher and author Paul Rée. She attended university in Zurich, a university notable for accepting females. She was one of the most remarkable women of her time.
This fascinating life has been turned into an absorbing drama by writer/director Cordula Kablitz-Post. Her domineering mother wants to marry her off to a wealthy man of good background but the feisty Lou is not interested and pursues unconventional relationships with Nietzsche, Rée and even her husband, the scholar Friedrich Andreas. Equally interesting is the relationship between the ageing Lou and the memoirist Ernst Pfeiffer. This relationship has many similarities with relationships she had with Nietzsche, Rilke and other significant men in her life. Her struggle to be treated with the same respect and opportunities as a man has modern parallels. The extraordinary Lou Andreas-Salomé is a significant feminist role model.
There are strong performances from the cast especially Katharina Lorenz and Nicole Heesters as the young and old Lou Andreas-Salomé. The old postcards are a delight and a highlight of the film.
In Love With Lou – A Philosopher’s Life is showing as part of the 2016 German Film Fest on Sunday 27th November at the Chauvel Cinema.