Air

This encounter literally knocks Manja (Paula Hüttisch) off her feet: In the woods, the 17-year-old schoolgirl is run over by a belligerent peer who not only rips her glasses off her head on impact, but also suddenly plants a kiss on her mouth. Manja, the slightly out-of-touch young Russian-German from the high-rise housing estate, is fascinated by so much cheeky down-to-earthness and from then on gathers all the information she can from her new classmate. No lies, no traces, no fear - that is the credo of the rebel named Louk (Lara Feith), who initially keeps Manja "on a long leash". However, her daring political actions do leave their mark. Maja realizes that Louk's idealism hides deep wounds caused by the loss of her mother. Louk's farewell to the past conceals an opportunity for Manja herself to learn to let go. Anatol Schuster has created a cinematic poem about the freedom of love and the purity of the heart from the rapprochement between two outsiders. Manja's poetic-musical search for clues is based on a delicate web of allusions, interpretations, but also disappointments. This successful feature film debut confidently takes the time to slowly get to know the characters and their injuries and to allow them to mature through their mutual encounters, friction and affection for one another. An enchanting story about growing up, carried by two wonderful leading actresses! "In the beginning is the wind. The viewer hears it, feels it, even before the first image. A young woman sits on a stone wall in the countryside, her dress fluttering, her hair blowing. From the very beginning, there is a lightness about this film, a lightness that has to bear the heaviness of the soul, so we don't give too much away. At the center of the story, two seventeen-year-olds experience bipolar life, one pure, the other rebellious, one dreamy, the other loud. Teenagers who attract each other, get carried away, seek stability, let themselves drift. But where to? [...] Dissolving into "air" is something you can do well as a viewer. Surrender to the intoxication of the gentle images, which sometimes seem surreal. Dream landscapes with a rain of soap bubbles, sun-drenched close-ups and, time and again, sentences that hit home: "It's a man thing. You always have to leave something behind." The film is a bold blow into the grimace of the mainstream." (Bernhard Blöchl, sueddeutsche.de)