Räuberhände

Samuel and Janik are studying for their A-levels in their allotment "Stambul". While Janik tries to distance himself from his well-to-do teacher parents, Samuel, the son of an alcoholic, strives to maintain an orderly everyday life and normality. They have named their summerhouse after the Turkish town, which is perhaps where Samuel's unknown father comes from. After leaving school, the two friends go on a journey to the real Istanbul, which is both a new beginning and a search for clues. As they grow up, Janik experiences how fragile trust and friendship are, and that there are boundaries that, when crossed, call everything into question.

In powerful, sensitive and poetic language, this debut novel by award-winning Hamburg-based author Finn-Ole Heinrich tells of big themes such as home, identity and friendship. To what extent does our identity change when we gain new insights into our ancestry? Is an imagined identity less authentic than a "real" one?

Duration 1:30h, no intermission

Premiere August 16, 2013, Thalia Gauss