The Invisible String - DVD

Film: It's just 165 grams of plastic. But for many people, it's so much more. Throwing a Frisbee disc is a recreational pastime, a sport, a way of life. But where did the Frisbee movement actually originate? How did it spread to such an extent? And what kind of people dedicate their lives to flying plastic discs? In his endearing documentary The Invisible String, filmmaker Jan Bäss tries to get to the bottom of these and many other questions surrounding the Frisbee disc. The result is a very charming, amusing and also interesting film that not only offers an interesting insight into the development of the Frisbee movement and its influence on pop culture. The documentary is also a very loving tribute to the founders of the movement and to the people who indulge in the joy of the game and share it with like-minded people.

Bäss visits the largest beach frisbee festival in the world in Rimini, Italy, meets pioneers of the sport of frisbee, sheds light on the emergence of the freestyle throw or shows how frisbee has also found its way into the art scene. The whole thing is presented as a mixture of current interviews, archive footage and amusing animations, which on the one hand reveal a loving devotion to the subject, but also a refreshing dose of self-irony. Thus, the documentary strikes a very good balance between informational content and entertainment value, and at the same time manages to offer an entertaining, interesting and very amusing viewing experience even to those viewers who have not shown much interest in Frisbees so far.

From the first throws with the pie tins of the Frisbie Pie Bakery in Connecticut to the International Frisbee Tournament in 1969, the Two-Finger Macho Sidewinder, a spectacular forehand throw by Victor Malafontes to the emergence of the legendary trio of Coloradicals at the end of the 70s and the revolution they caused in the scene, The Invisible String takes us through the eventful history of the round plastic discs. Jan Bäss succeeds very well in transferring the joy of life and passion of the portrayed people to the viewer. It is simply fun to watch this film. Passionate collectors, players, professionals, eccentrics or life artists - the documentary presents a smorgasbord of very special characters, whose passion is always taken seriously by the filmmakers, but also viewed with an affectionate wink.

So The Invisible String is an all-around successful documentary that puts you in a good mood, is extremely informative at the same time and perfectly reflects the attitude towards life of an entire generation. And that makes this film not only for Frisbee fans absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The film is only available in the English soundtrack, to which optional subtitles in several languages are available. However, these have turned out quite small, which can seem a little tiring in the long run. The sound itself is on a good level for a documentary, with interviews, voice-over commentary and the music setting the tone here. Surround fireworks should therefore not be expected. Since the film makes use of a lot of archival footage, there are always some quality sacrifices to be made in terms of image sharpness. Here and there there is also a little soiling, which is not surprising given the age of some of the recordings. The actual interviews and footage, such as from the Frisbee Festival in Italy, are pleasing with good overall sharpness and a coherent color scheme. Overall, there is a satisfied for the technical implementation: good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD offers a full 61 minutes of cut scenes and interviews, as well as 14 minutes long bonus clips and a brief look at a Berlin GUTS tournament to offer. Especially among the 17 cut scenes are some very interesting moments worth watching. However, the bonus material is only available in English without subtitle options! The DVD also comes with an extensive bilingual booklet, in which some of the protagonists are introduced and the most important stages in the history of Frisbee can be read again.

Conclusion: The Invisible String is an extremely entertaining documentary about the history of the Frisbee movement. It's a film that achieves exactly what the basic idea behind the sport of Frisbee is: it's just plain fun! Informative, refreshingly self-deprecating and filled with sometimes truly spectacular footage, Jan Bäss has succeeded in creating a charming declaration of love for this very special piece of plastic. A somewhat different sports documentary that offers well over an hour of additional material on the DVD. Not only for Frisbee enthusiasts absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp