Back in the days of hippy bliss, Ulrike and her husband used to believe that the world would be revolutionized by their activities, consisting mainly of smoking pot and having sex. Thanks to a large family fortune, none of them has ever had to work for a living. But the ‘three generation millions’ – one generation makes it, the second maintains it and the third generation blows it – are slowly disappearing. So now the burden of maintaining the tower falls on the children, of whom Sirius (the Latin form of Osiris) actually seems to enjoy making money. His dreamy, fairy-like sister Isis seems less cut out for that particular task.
With the Flatzes, reality and fantasy tend to become pretty mixed up as they talk openly, and with a keen sense of drama, about their lives, money, art, love, misunderstandings and dreams. The theatrical manner in which they do this almost makes one wonder whether this is a family or just a group of actors.
"[The Tower is an] eerie split-screen visitation with three generations of bohemians who live in a grand, crumbling stone ruin. Their stories of dysfunction, related with matter-of-fact irony, feel as gothically spooky as any page in the vampire virgin’s diary." -A.O. Scott, "New Videos Resonate Darkly", New York Times (19 July 2002)