Nettle bath
Coming-of-age, Drama, 86 mins.
Synopsis:
Kim has had enough: of school, her girlfriend and, above all, her mum. It’s her mum’s fault that Kim’s father is now gone. Just gone. So Kim decides to set off. Right across Hesse. She begins her journey without any proper equipment or even a plan. On foot. She stumbles through meadows, forests and rivers. She can’t go back, only forwards. But it’s not that easy to run away from the past. Out in nature, Kim is constantly confronted with situations from her past. On her back she carries not only her pink hiking rucksack, but also a great deal of anger, guilt and the question of what to do next. Along the way, Kim meets street urchin Maxim, hostel employee Leska and long-distance hiker Dada. Each encounter gives Kim a little more insight. As she begins to come to terms with her past, the path suddenly becomes less rocky. The stolen tent is now being pitched more quickly, and the French sat-nav announces that the route ahead is getting shorter and shorter. She is about to arrive at the one place where she can still be.
- Project Team: Janina Lutter, Paul Galli and Fabienne Schweers
Semester: Independent project, 6th semester, 2021
Cast:
Kim: Janina Lutter
Kim’s mother: Anja Schiffel
Kim’s father: Fitz van Thom
Anna: Sophia Münster
Street urchin Maxim: Angelo Lo Bello
Hostel employee Leska: Yasmin Slama
Long-distance hiker Dada: Regine Vergeen
Cashier: Rosa Galli
Teenager #1: Robert Schäfer
Teenager #2: Stefanie Barth
Teenager #3: Robin Serve
Crew list:
Direction, Screenplay & Edit – Janina Lutter
Production, Co-direction, Sound recording and Art direction – Paul Galli
Director of Photography & Gaffer – Fabienne Schweers
Colour grading – Marius Kast
VFX – Charlotte Paulsen
Original Score – Philipp Bodor
Sound design – Esther Wilka
Film sound and music mixing – Willy Karl, Philipp Bodor
Trailer
Director’s Commentary: Janina Lutter
“During the second year of the pandemic, our studies were restricted and at times we had to stop filming altogether. We looked for a way to remain creative despite the restrictions and began working on various projects with a small team.
After a few short film projects, we came up with the idea for our first feature-length film, ‘Brennnesselbad’. We didn’t want to make this film in a traditional block of shooting, but rather shoot one or two days a week. From April to November, the three of us headed out into the countryside almost every weekend to bring Kim’s story to life. Most of what happens in the film only took shape during the shooting period, in line with our circumstances, our outlook on life and the places we discovered that summer.
We financed the film independently, without any film funding, through a small crowdfunding campaign. In May 2022, we were able to complete the film and celebrate its premiere at the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt international. We are still overwhelmed by the positive feedback and are delighted to see that Kim’s story resonates with others. We hope that, through our film, we can show that young, independent perspectives deserve a place both in front of and behind the camera, and that the best way to explore new paths is to travel light.”
The feature film celebrated its premiere at the Lichter Filmfest. It was screened at the Filmkunstfest MV and the QUEER Filmfest Weiterstadt. At the Biberacher Filmfestspiele, it was nominated for Best Debut Feature and received a special mention. At the Italian youth film festival vvfilmf, it won first prize in the MONTE PIZZOC category.
The film’s website: here
The film’s Instagram: here
Behind the Scenes:
You can find more content like this video on Take 19’sYouTube channel.
