A suffocating blanket of boredom hangs over the Swiss town where the friends Heidi and Milena live. After the summer holidays, Heidi wants to study medicine; Milena is more of an adventurer. For her, the future is a question mark. Milena only seems to want to stay close to Heidi. When their plan to live together is cancelled at the last moment, their safe world starts to reveal some cracks. The tension between the two becomes increasingly difficult to define. Is it friendship, infatuation or love? Beyond These Mountains finds a storm of emotions behind the respectable Swiss facade. In the small town, everything may be neatly arranged, but that says nothing about the underlying desires of its inhabitants. That there are no wolves in Switzerland – as alleged in the fairytale of the old shepherd – is a story for the gullible. Because sheep certainly do disappear, the shepherd concludes. But the relationship between Heidi and Milena is not that simple. They have to discover for themselves where their friendship will take them.
Film details
Countries of production
Germany, Switzerland
Year
2010
Festival edition
IFFR 2011
Length
76'
Medium/Format
HDcam
Language
German
Premiere status
International première
Director
Michael Krummenacher
Producer
Michael Krummenacher, Peter Baranowski, Judith Fülle