In the shimmering summer of 1990, two German states still existed. The WÄHRUNGSUNION (monetary union) has just been completed, and it should still be three months before the WIEDERVEREINIGUNG (reunification). 18-year-old Maria (Marlene BUROW) lives with her boyfriend of the same age on his parents farm, somewhere in the Thuringian countryside. Life there still seems very archaic, like it might have been in the 1950s. Maria lives for the day, skips school and reads THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. The relationship with her mother (Jördis TRIEBEL), who lives in the neighboring village, seems to be somewhat clouded. Only the encounter with 40-year-old Henner (Felix KRAMER), who lives alone on a neighboring farm, breaks Maria out of her lethargy. It is the beginning of a passionate amour fou that crosses many boundaries. The taciturn yet charismatic man reveals an irritating mix of vulnerability and brutality to which Maria feels magically drawn. Disappointed certainties of life and the premonition of coming changes erupt into intoxicating sexuality...
The impressive film by director Emily ATEF (born 1973), based on Daniela KRIENs (born 1975) bestseller of the same name (published in 2011), paints an apt portrait of this very special summer. The shimmering heat of 1990, the overarching upheaval and the reversal of all previous certainties are brought to the big screen in a congenial and powerful way.
This film is a great artistic achievement, and not just for the otherwise often lifeless German-speaking cinema! A masterpiece created under the Thuringian sun that can tell a lot about German-German spiritual landscapes!
