Logline
Philipp and Tobias grow up in the province of Saxony. Their childhood is marked by a lack of prospects in an otherwise vast landscape. Years later, when their hometown is to take in refugees, the situation escalates. While one brother withdraws into himself, the other seeks an outlet for his rage. And finds it.
Based on the novel by Lukas Rietzschel
Synopsis
2006: Brothers Philipp (12) and Tobias (9) grow up in an East German province. At first, everything seems to be going well whilst their parents build a house, but when the gaunt Uwe arrives to help on the building site, the family's happiness begins to crack.
Whilst a facade of normality is maintained, the increasingly disastrous renovation begins to reflect the family's fate.
Events reach a climax when the family move into the unfinished house.
The father loses his job, while the mother tries to keep things going. The house that once promised freedom becomes a perpetual building site that spills over into everyone's lives. Tobi and Philipp are left alone in the middle of it all, with no direction or idea of a future. At some point, all that remains are the older boys in their low-slung VWs, who promise adventure but only offer violence and xenophobia.
Cast
Anton Franke: Philipp
Camille Moltzen: Tobi
Anja Schneider: Sabine Zschornack
Christian Näthe: Stefan Zschornack
Johannes Scheidweiler: Menzel
Moritz Hoyer: Ramon
Meinhard Neumann: Uwe
Katrin Röver: Kathrin
Hannes Wegener: Andreas
Hilmar Eichhorn: Opa
Swetlana Schönfeld: Oma
Sammy Scheuritzel: Philipp 2015
Tilman Döbler: Tobi 2015
Alexander Hörbe: Chef
Noah Dymke: Christoph
Jean Paul Halle: Marco
Jannis Veihelmann: Timo
Beate Furcht: Polizistin
Crew
Writer/Director: Constanze Klaue
Director of Photography: Florian Brückner
Make-Up: Elena Ziegler
Production Design: Uli Neumann
Production Design: Michael Schindlmeier
Costume Design: Sophie Peters
Line Producer: Maxim Juretzka, Flare Film
Line Producer: Bernhard Schneider, Chromosom Film
Producer: Alexander Wadouh, Chromosom Film
Producer: Roxana Richters, Chromosom Film
Producer: Gabriele Simon, Flare Film
Producer: Martin Heisler, Flare Film
Music: PC Nackt
Set Sound : Johannes Doberenz
Sound Design, Mix: Paul Rischer
Commissioning Editor: Meike Götz (MDR), Barbara Häbe (ARTE), Cooky Ziesche (RBB), Andrea Hanke (WDR)
funded by: MDM, MBB, BKM, DFFF
Director
Born in East-Berlin, Constanze Klaue studied German literature and jazz music. Afterwards, she worked as a writer and director for a commercial film production in Cologne before going to the Academy of Media Arts in 2014 to concentrate entirely on filmmaking.
As a freelance writer and director, she writes for film, music and literature alike. One focus is the child's perspective - another is the social examination of the consequences of German reunification. In 2015, her autobiographical essay Our Home was awarded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In 2017/18 she was a scholarship holder of the Academy for Children's Media and received the Boje-Baumhaus-Media Prize for her novel project Ausgerechnet Mops!. The book will be published in 2020.
Press
https://www.mdr.de/presse/unternehmen/presseinformation-drehstart-mit-der-faust-in-die-welt-schlagen-100.html
https://www.berlinale.de/de/2025/programm/202516907.html