Director: Lisa Bierwirth
Writers: Hannes Held, Lisa Bierwirth
Cast: Ursula Strauss, Passi Balende, Nsumbo Tango Samuel, Victoria Trauttmansdorff u.v.m.
Production: Komplizen Film
Co-Production: ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel
Distribution Germany: Port au Prince Pictures
+++ Now available for Home Entertainment +++
In the midst of the notorious Frankfurter Bahnhofsviertel, two people encounter who could not be more different: Monika, mid-40s, works as a curator and is therefore part of the city’s art- and culture scene. As she unexpectedly gets into a police raid, she encounters Joseph, a Congolese businessman looking for investors for a diamond mine in Congo and who keeps afloat by doing some Import/Export-deals every now and then. Eventually, their brief encounter results in an intense love story. But while both of them believe their relationship to be strong enough to stand against the influence of prejudices, mistrust slowly arises between the two of them, until their relationship becomes a battleground of postcolonial conflicts. Eventually, they will have to ask themselves if it’s actually possible, to love at eye level?
Inspired by the true story of her mother, Lisa Bierwirth questions how postcolonial structures and power relations can take influence in an European-African relationship. The story of her feature debut observes not only the pitfalls, but also the courage it takes to live a love life drawn between social conventions and exhibits Frankfurt am Main – somewhere between a world metropolis and a place of shady business deals – as the film’s ambiguous third protagonist.
The film’s renowned cast is led by Ursula Strauss (“Tatort”, “Oktober November”), the Rapper Passi Balende and Alex Brendemühl (“Die Frau im Mond”) and accompanied by Victoria Trauttmannsdorff, Hanns Zischler and the artist Douglas Gordon.
The film will celebrate its world premiere in the competition of 2021’s edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
