Testudo hermanni

A small slice of life set in the Austrian Alps, this short documents the extensive annual routine of care that Kathleen Svatek dutifully provides for a 23-year-old Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) named Tony. This notably includes Tony’s months spent in a vegetable crisper, where he hibernates at a stable temperature, safe from unpredictable winters. For his film, the director G Anthony Svatek – who is both Kathleen’s son and Tony’s owner – captures this unusual spectacle as it unfolds against the sublime landscape of Salzburg on vivid 16mm film, and pairs these images with the dramatic sounds of a Mozart opera. The effect is endearing and entertaining while underscoring something rather profound: the extraordinary measures people will take to care for loved ones – or even the Greek tortoises of loved ones, far from their natural habitat.