Trailer for the documentary As Slow as Possible.
These two seemingly separate stories come together in As Slow as Possible - the story of an affable 33 year-old philosopher (Ryan Knighton) who sets out on a pilgrimage to a small town in the former East Germany. His pursuit - to listen to a single note change in the 639 year-long organ performance of the John Cage composition, As Slow as Possible.
As Knighton prepares to relinquish his last sliver of eyesight, he has turned his ear to the experience of one note, giving away to another. In search of a window into his own uncertain future, Ryan hopes the experience will allow him, as he puts it, "to leave my eyes behind." First, however, he must get there.
Ryan’s experience unfolds like a Cage piece itself - a series of chance encounters with people who line the path - many of whom offer assistance, some of whom don't believe he's blind at all, and finally one who may offer Ryan something profound. It all converges at an ancient monastery in Halberstadt, Germany, where a ceremony is about to begin - and these two disparate stories become one.