It's Thursday evening and auditorium 8 of the CineStar CUBIX cinema on Alexanderplatz is completely full. Many young friend groups seem to take advantage of the late screening time to enjoy a few short films after school on a weeknight
This year's short film program two in the Generation 14+ section once again takes us on a journey around the world.
We start in Brazil with "Lapso" by director Caroline Cavalcanti. It is here that Bel and Juliano cross paths in a public library where they are both doing community service. Their eyes and hearts quickly meet.
Sensitively, the film follows the story of their encounter, which is made particularly interesting by the fact that Bel is almost completely deaf. There is so much tenderness in the dedication with which Juliano begins to learn sign language that would otherwise be difficult to convey. But their relationship is also shaped by the experiences of social disadvantage they have each had to endure.
On the other side of the world - in Nepal - Saurav Ghimire's "Songs of Love and Hate" accompanies a stranger on a 17-minute journey to what appears to be the most remote place in the country.
Im Hintergrund zu hören sind Anrufer einer Beziehungsratgeber-Radioshow, die von schmerzhaften Konflikten ihrer Liebe mit den gesellschaftlich gesetzten Grenzen der nepalesischen Gesellschaft berichten.
The director explained in the audience discussion that the images were primarily intended to provide a space for the pain of many Nepalese who are unable to live out their love due to social regulations. However, although the dark tones of the film do indeed create a depressing effect, it is difficult for an outsider to gain access to this conflict in a distant society in this way. I found the image and sound rather random.
So ging es scheinbar auch meinen Sitznachbar*innen, denn sowohl der ältere Herr auf meiner rechten als auch eine Jugendliche auf meiner linken Seite schlossen die Augen und begannen gleichmäßig zu atmen, bis der Applaus des Abspanns sie wieder weckte.
"Muna" is completely different. This short film from the UK tells the story of a teenager's conflict with her immigrant parents and her struggle to stand up for herself in a world dominated by tradition.
Director Warda Mohamed references elements of current pop culture and has Muna create a Spotify playlist for her group chat, for example. In doing so, she brings the young people to life, whose struggle for independence and connection to their ancestors suddenly seems close at hand.
Our journey ends in the south of France. At his grandfather's empty family home, 16-year-old Clément doesn't want to wait any longer to gain his first sexual experience and swipes through the dating platform Grindr. However, in the conversations with his date, who is a few years older than him and appears after a few hours, and the unforeseen twists and turns of the evening, he gathers something much more valuable.
„Un invincible été“ ist zunächst in seiner Bildgestaltung und Farbgebung beeindruckend. Die Kamera bringt das Gefühl der Großeltern-Sommerferien einfach auf den Punkt. Es ist spannend Clément zuzusehen, wie er versucht, die „Erwachsenenwelt“ zu erkunden. Besonders der Kontrast zum Leben seines Großvaters ist gut gesetzt und regt zum Nachdenken an.
