EXCLUSIVE: Films Boutique has acquired world sales rights to German feature I Understand Your Displeasure, which will have its world premiere in Berlin Panorama next month.
The film follows Heike, a customer service manager at an understaffed cleaning company, who must sacrifice one of her own employees to comply with the demands of a powerful subcontractor.
Directed by Kilian Armando Friedrich from a screenplay by Tunde Sautier, Daniel Kunz and Friedrich, the film is produced by Ben Ulrich, Felix Mann and Simon Bogocz, for Germany’s WennDann Film.
Sabine Thalau, Nada Kosturin and Werner Posselt lead a cast of non-professional actors.
Backers on the film are FFF Bayern, ZDF / Das kleine Fernsehspiel, the University of Television and Film Munich, and German Films.
“I wanted to understand the structure and rules of a job that is required to satisfy interests that systematically contradict one another: low prices, maximum efficiency, and humane working conditions,” said Friedrich. “With this film, I want to force a look into the cleaning industry and search for a moment of happiness instead of surrender.”
“Young German filmmaker Kilian Armando Friedrich is a real talent and his first feature reminds of early works of the Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach: shot with non-professional actors and real employees of the low-wage sector he tells a touching and relatable story quickly building up to a climax but leaving you behind with a smile. A true gem!” said Gabor Greiner, COO at Films Boutique.
The film is Friedrich’s debut fiction feature; he previously co-directed 2023 documentary Nuclear Nomads.
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