Julia Veldman

Department: Man and Communication
Website: www.juliaveldmanc.nl

Letters to the Neighbours

Many people harbour suspicions about their neighbours, and do their best to avoid any contact with them. That this is particularly the case in ‘problem neighbourhoods’, Julia Veldman knows from her own experience. No people can be seen in her film about her own neighbourhood — only the bricks they hide behind. The voice of a neighbour who sends increasingly vitriolic letters to his neighbours illustrates how this can get out of hand. Social isolation fuels prejudice, fear and, in the course of time, even aggression. “We’re always ready to talk and complain about our neighbours, but not to talk with them. Our perspective is distorted. Letters to the Neighbours shows what happens if every attempt to make contact is doomed from the start.”

Video