FRÄNK

After another incident of domestic violence, Paul is to stay with his uncle for a while. And yet instead of a break, more problems await: He quickly finds acceptance amongst a group of disorientated teenagers who while away the holidays smoking, drinking, fighting, and sniffing glue. Feeling welcome nowhere else, he makes one wrong decision after another and plunges himself into a downward spiral with little regard for the consequences. Only Fränk, a young man with a disability and a regular target of the teenagers, seems to awaken in Paul a guilty conscience and a desire for righteousness. Between the desire for recognition, the constant rejections from his mother and the need to be true to himself, he loses sight of what is right.

With this, his feature film debut, director Tõnis Pill creates a touching story that, in just a few scenes, also manages to reflect the beautiful moments of a carefree youth and the secret disregard of prohibitions that are part and parcel of growing up. Above all, however, it is a story of the problems experienced by young people, one which treats its protagonists as equals and attempts to understand them. The violence and aggression are desperate cries for help from adolescents who long for affection and a place in this world. The fact that this narrative concept works so well is in no small thanks to lead actor Derek Leheste, who impressively brings Paul's inner conflict – a cool daredevil on the outside whilst a vulnerable child on the inside – to the screen.

Text: Merlin Webers

Tue 04.11. I 21:00 I KAMMERBÜHNE I original version with English subtitles + simultaneous German translation

Sun 09.11. I 11:00 I KAMMERBÜHNE I original version with English subtitles + simultaneous German translation