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Scene with Lina Beckmann (left) and Anneke Kim Sarnau: "I get goosebumps."
Photo: Christine Schröder / NDR
The scenario:
Coming out as a thriller.
In the middle of his transition phase, the trans man Daniel (Jonathan Perleth) gets caught up in a crime: After a first date, which he has in a masculine look, he witnesses a murder.
But he can't go to the police because he would then have to come out as a trans man, which he doesn't feel ready for yet.
But since Daniel was seen in the disco on the night of the crime with a leather jacket and blond quiff, inspectors Böwe (Lina Beckmann) and König (Anneke Kim Sarnau) are looking for him.
He can only confide in a friend of his trans man in a self-help workshop for camper vans - towards everyone else, Daniel, the wild leather jacket type, takes on the role of Daniela, the inconspicuous kindergarten teacher.
The highlight:
This is an identity thriller: the hero's self-discovery is intricately intertwined with the investigation plot.
As with Hitchcock's suspense thrillers à la The Man Who Knew, we get close to the hero who becomes tragically involved in the crime others committed: going to the police and coming out or, for security reasons, playing the role of keep playing wife?
Lead actor Jonathan Perleth was in the transition phase himself at the time of shooting and furiously embodies the man fleeing himself.
The picture:
In the I-machine: In his van, Daniel puts on and takes off his masculine outfit: from the kindergarten teacher with a bobbed haircut to the guy in a leather jacket with a David Bowie quiff it's just a few simple steps.
At least in the safety of the mobile home.
The dialogue:
Daniel and Armin, his trans friend from the garage, are arguing about how to proceed after the murder they witnessed.
Armin: »You are the last person who was with her. You are an important witness. The prime suspect, probably.”
Daniel: "What?"
Armin: »Yes, you were seen there. You went away with her. Of course they're looking for you."
Daniel: »Armin, I looked completely different yesterday. I'm not there like that. I was me!«
The song:
»Good night« by Franz Schubert.
The prelude to Schubert's »Winterreise« song cycle is sung here by an amateur choir, in which the wanted Daniel also tried to find his voice.
"I moved in as a stranger, I'm moving out again as a stranger" - these first lines develop a particularly cruel effect against the background of the transition.
Böwe whispers in the scene: "I get goosebumps." König moans: "Terrible."
The review:
8 out of 10 points.
The Man Who Fled From Himself: a twisted and disturbing thriller about gender identity.
The analysis:
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