Stella unexpectedly inherits an old house in Berlin from her Jewish great uncle. Due to the dramatic history of this building, which has gone through various changes throughout the 20th century, she will have to fight for the right to claim ownership of her inheritance. Willing to do this, she embarks on a personal journey into the past that turns out to be more complex and ambiguous than she ever could have expected. A conceptual quest full of suspense, depicting a person who gets a chance to find her ‘secret homeland’ as well as rediscover herself.
Narrated and brilliantly filmed in a restrained, almost Brechtian manner, this film by Cynthia Beatt looks like a mix of fiction and non-fiction and challenges our ‘common knowledge’ about the genealogy of contemporary Europe. Partly shot in Rotterdam, a city which also plays an important role in Stella’s journey.
Film details
- Countries of production
- Germany, UK
- Year
- 2014
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2014
- Length
- 96"
- Medium/Format
- DCP
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