The painter from Solothurn (CH) Frank Buchser was sent to the USA in 1866 to paint a large painting of the "Heroes of the Civil War" for the future Council of States Hall in Bern. Initially Buchser was busy portraying politicians and generals in the spirit of his clients. More and more, however, he became interested in the Indians expelled to the reservations and in the living conditions of the slaves who had just been freed.

Years earlier, fascinated by Moorish culture, Frank Buchser rides disguised as a Turkish sheikh to the Moroccan town of Fez, which is forbidden to Christians under death penalty. The Swiss filmmaker Bruno Moll (Pizza Bethlehem, Tunisreise) tells the two adventurous journeys of the rebellious and controversial artist. The film narrative begins with film documents of the riots in Charlottesville in August 2017 and the diary entries made by Frank Buchser in 1869, when General Lee was his model for the portrait. In a large flashback the film tells Buchser's story of his stay in Andalusia and Morocco in 1858, returns with him to his homeland and closes with his North American adventure.

«Das faszinierende Bild eines schillernden Charakters.» Regula Fuchs, Züritipp

So, wie Buchsers Tagebücher dessen eigenen zeitgenössischen Rassismus mit überraschenden Einsichten kontern, zeigt sich der Film mit seiner Kombination von Text, Bildbetrachtungen und aktuellen Aufnahmen aus Marokko und den USA zugleich beeindruckt von der Abenteuerlust und bemüht um Distanz – ein lustvolles Ringen.» Michael Sennhauser

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