Paul (40 yrs old) visits his elderly parents after a long time away. While father has joined a so called free-church, mother is now in a wheelchair and never leaves the house. Paul has not been aware of any of this. He has only come to visit because he is broke and needs money. Father is about to take a trip with his church and has promised to pay Paul for taking care of his mother while he is away.
Paul finds his parents engaged in a little war that can be ignited at any moment by mundane things such as a roll of toilet paper, to then escalate to violent proportions. Father, always smiling, tries to make the visit of the guest enjoyable. “You should not be misled by the kindness of father, “ warns mother. “This asshole smiles and drives a knife through your heart”. Her meaning becomes apparent after one of her support handles by the toilet has mysteriously come undone. Paul confronts his father, who simply replies: “… weird things happen sometimes my son. We don’t know why they happen, or what the fuck they mean, but they do happen.”
fiction | 30min. | drama | color | cinemascope 2.35:1 | language: german | germany, 2013
German Short Film Award (Nominated)
Cast
Mother | Susanne Barth |
Father | Michael Gempart |
Son | Thomas Loibl |
Priest | Felix Vörtler |
Praying Man | Dominik Klingberg |
Crew
Camera/DOP: | Matteo Cocco |
Set Designer: | Inga Jasper |
Costume Designer: | Genoveva Kylburg |
Hair/ Make Up: | Nina Goyert |
Editor: | Stefan Stabenow |
Sound Design: | Matz Müller |
Commissioning Editor: | Catherine Colas (Arte) |
Screenwriter/ Director: | Visar Morina |
Production
augenschein Filmproduktion in Co-Prodoction with ZDF/ARTE sponsored by Film und Medienstiftung NRW