Die Frau mit den 5 Elefanten

Documentary portrait of 86-year-old Svetlana Geier, originally Ukrainian, who dedicated her life to translating Russian literature into German. The reason was, as she says herself, to pay off her debts to Germany – a debt she saddled herself with during World War II. For the last 20 years, she has concentrated on the five great novels – ‘the five elephants’ – by Dostoevsky.
The film juxtaposes her meticulous intellectual effort, which she carries out with several retired friends, with Geier’s everyday activities in and around the house: peeling apples, making tea and receiving the children and grandchildren. When she is invited to be a guest lecturer in Kiev, she returns to her home soil for the first time in 56 years.
Nominated for Best Documentary during the European Film Awards last December.

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