The Girl and the Spider: An interview with Ramon & Silvan Zürcher

“It’s a film about moving out… but really it’s so much more than that.”

The Girl and the Spider – the sophomore release from auteur twin brothers Roman and Silvan Zürcher – takes a simple premise and spins an elaborate web of isolation, connection, transition and reflection. Now premiering as part of the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival, the feature follows two sisters as one prepares to move out of their shared apartment, unaware that her departure will kickstart a catastrophe of tragicomic events.

“It’s all about human connection,” they tell me over Zoom, “how a camera can be static but be moved by human emotion”. A loose follow-up to their 2013 festival-hit The Strange Little Cat, the pair didn’t feel burdened by their previous successes – they were just focused on the freedom filmmaking offers and the joy of working with each other. “Collaboration is sometimes tricky,” Roman jokes, “but it’s easier when it’s with your twin!”

We were lucky enough to speak to Silvan and Roman, discussing what it means to follow-up a critical darling, how they separate themselves from their characters and how they find inspiration from form rather than films.

Samuel Nicholls

The Girl and the Spider does not have a UK release date yet. Read our review here.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2021 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for The Girl and the Spider here: