| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Eva Löbau | ... |
Melanie Pröschle
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Daniela Holtz | ... |
Tina Schaffner
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Jan Neumann | ... |
Thorsten Rehm
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Ilona Schulz | ... |
Frau Sussmann
(as Ilona Christina Schulz)
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Robert Schupp | ... |
Tobias
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Heinz Röser-Dümmig | ... |
Lutger Reinhardt
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Martina Eckrich | ... |
Renate Pföhler
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Nina Fiedler | ... |
Bine
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Hans-Rüdiger Kucich | ... |
Gerd Postweiler
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Ruth Köppler | ... |
Elvira Fischer-Walter
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Achim Enchelmaier | ... |
Bernd
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Monika Hirschle | ... |
Melanies Mutter
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Volker Jeck | ... |
Melanies Vater
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Hans-Peter Gastiger | ... |
Recycler
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Andreas Bornhardt | ... |
Garden Center Worker
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As an awkward idealistic high school teacher begins her first job in the city, things turn out to be much tougher than she had imagined.
The first few minutes of the film, i couldn't get over the 30fps video hand-held format. I was thinking, "are they crazy? at least shoot 24p..." But soon enough, the story sucked me into Melanie's plight settling into a new environment, struggling with loneliness, desperation, and upholding her facade of "everything is fine," when everyone knows that she is physically and emotionally deteriorating. I thought that the acting was superb. Not once did I feel like the actors were acting, but the video format and the emotions elicited conveyed a painful sense of realism.
This film touches upon a universal struggle of the human condition in such a realistic, frustrating, and true-to-life approach. Her inner tug of war is something that all of us have experienced at one point or another to some degree of severity.
It is truly a touching story.
I haven't felt such pity, frustration, empathy, and genuine identification with the protagonist in a long time.
Find this film and go see it.