Etwas ganz Besonderes

Lea applied to be on a talent show. The producer asks, “Who are you, and what makes you unique?” Lea doesn’t know and begins searching for a version of herself that fits. Meanwhile, in her hometown, the museum is undergoing a costly renovation funded by the EU, while at the same time her family’s guesthouse is struggling to stay afloat financially. Lea’s family consists of her parents, Matze and Rieke, who have recently separated because Rieke is pregnant by another man, though they’re still quite inexperienced with their new family dynamics. Her grandparents, who have enough problems of their own—with each other and with their Waldhotel, which, in this remote region, costs more money than it brings in. And her Aunt Kati, whom Lea sees as a role model, but who, with her cultural and historical ambitions as a museum director in this East German provincial town, isn’t exactly making any friends right now—not even within her own family. Even Lea’s best friend Bonny is preoccupied with other things, as she’s newly in love with Lea’s activist cousin Edgar.

So who is Lea, the contestant—what kind of personal story can be crafted from this? SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL is a family story. And a complex situation.

With her third feature film, following ALLES IST GUT and IVO, Eva Trobisch has succeeded in creating a tender yet painful family portrait. The director and screenwriter was able to rely on an excellent ensemble cast—led by newcomer Frida Hornemann as Lea, who delivers an impressive performance marked by a restrained, often pent-up emotional intensity; followed by Max Riemelt as father Matze, who strives to keep everything together; Eva Löbau as Lea’s aunt Kati; Peter René Lüdicke and Rahel Ohm as grandparents who have been at odds with each other for so long that it’s become the norm for them; Gina Henkel as mother Rieke; and Florian Lukas as the new man in her life.

Something Very Special—Now Playing at Tilsiter Lichtspiele

www.tilsiter-lichtspiele.de/kinoprogramm