“All right, call me Kristina. That’s not my real name, but let it stand. It’s on my passport. I was born in a little town near Budapest before the last few wars.” (text from the film). Rainer establishes the role of Kristina as survivor and witness, presenting her personal “history” as a grounds for exploring the irreconcilable contradictions of personal experience and historical events. Kristina Talking Pictures is both a lament to actions not taken/words not uttered, and a celebration of the cathartic potential of expression. (90 min.)