Anne (36) lives in Halle (Saale) and her life is in chaos. An apartment full of moving boxes, a yapping dog. She tells her mother on the phone that the electricity is about to be cut off again. Sometimes her daughter Leonie (14) drops by. Like her mother, she is at risk of slipping into drug addiction. Anne has already lost custody of her two younger children, too. The camera stays purely observational, captures loose scenes from the life of a woman who wants to take responsibility again. The film does not look for psychological explanations but shows Anne as she is. On her drives through the prefabricated housing estate, she seems isolated from her surroundings. Mother and daughter grow closer over an ice cream in a public square. Anne’s visit to her mother provides support but creates pressure, too. We grow ever closer to Anne, sharing her wish that she can become a role model for her daughter.
Anke Leweke
Contains mentions of addiction, death, drug-use
It is summer. Émile and his older sister Françoise are enjoying the last warm days in their holiday home on the edge of the forest, observing the night sky and looking out for comets. But one night the peaceful atmosphere is abruptly disrupted when the two siblings witness a cruel prank played by the neighbourhood boys. In his anger and helplessness, Émile wants to teach the kids a lesson. Afterwards, nothing is the same for him anymore and he has grown a little.
Lina Dinkla
Gosh, how boring and lonely it is here in the castle! That is what the little king thinks and so one day he vanishes. Everyone is desperate and at their wit’s end. The whole staff look for him for six days. No luck. And so the chamberlain, the commander, the jester and the second-in-command set out into the dangerous enchanted forest to find a new king. “The King Who Wanted More Than a Crown” was originally performed as a modern fable for all age groups with live orchestra accompaniment, to inspire a love of classical music especially in children. But even without live elements, Anita Killi's and Randall Meyers' cut-out animation works amazingly well. After all, it is not just brimming with loving detail and lively, colourful characters, but also breathes new life into the old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.
Marie Ketzscher
