Nackte Tiere

Katja and her friends are finishing high school somewhere in an anonymous town in Germany. Together, they are about to take the leap into adulthood. Their lives are at a turning point, but they barely seem to care. They live in the sort of symbiosis only being a teenager can offer, in which solidarity and friendship are essential shields against a world that cruelly lacks understanding. These are perhaps the only aspects that NAKED ANIMALS has in common with a coming of age movie, as the film is above all a hymn to freedom. This emerges first and foremost from its narration, which is at once simple and mysterious, intimate and never intrusive. In grasping the restless energy of Katja (impressively performed by Marie Tragousti) or the deep spleen of Benni, the film celebrates their resistance to conventions, their vital energy as they strive to express themselves freely, even though the outside world isn't listening. The camera finds its way through this jungle of bodies and feelings thanks to a sense of proximity that makes the film into an almost tactile experience. With NAKED ANIMALS, Melanie Waelde and her cast bring to life a debut feature that is an antidote to paternalism and a riposte to the prophets of dead cinema. (Rebecca Depas)

In the presence of Melanie Waelde.

Melanie Waelde: GROSSER STARKER BRUDER (2012, K), IRRDISCH (2012, K), LIKE IN AFRICA (2014, K), MOTTEN (2016, K), OHNE EUCH (2018, K)