Ternitz Tennessee

TERNITZ TENNESSEE is the story of two best friends who live in the Lower Austrian town of Ternitz but dream of somewhere else entirely: Tennessee, America, the great wide world. Betty tinkers with fast cars and drives a red Ford Mustang, while Lilli grooms poodles at a dog salon and falls for an Elvis impersonator who happens to sell kitchen appliances on television. When he and his entourage roll into town, fantasies of escape suddenly seem within reach. To be ready for life in the promised land, the girls consider improving their English—and perhaps even their breasts. In her feature debut, Mirjam Unger transforms this charming premise into a bittersweet pop fairy tale about longing, friendship and the seductive power of images. Beautiful dreams and dreary everyday life constantly overlap, as fantasies of boundless freedom collide with the realities of small-town existence. Unashamedly romantic and full of affection for its characters, TERNITZ TENNESSEE is a film that refuses irony and cool detachment, instead embracing the hopes and vulnerabilities of young people searching for a place beyond the horizon. (Florian Widegger)

Mirjam Unger: SONNENAUFGANG (1994, K), HOUSE OF SIRIUS (1995, K), NACHRICHT VON H. (1996, K), SPEAK EASY (1997, K), MEHR ODER WENIGER (1999, K), TERNITZ TENNESSEE (2000), DIE GANZE NACHT (2002, K), VIENNA’S LOST DAUGHTERS (2007), OH YEAH, SHE PERFORMS! (2012), MAIKÄFER FLIEG! (2016)