Michael Klier Film

15-year-old Elfie literally and metaphorically inhabits a no-man’s-land between the two Germanies shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The film deploys a neorealist aesthetic to reinforce the difficulties confronting the girl, and by inference, Germany.

Wanting to start a new life, 40-year-old Heli has found an institution in which she can put her younger, mentally disabled sister. Her three egocentric brothers have agreed to the plan and come to share their sister's final weekend at the house where they all grew up on the outskirts of Berlin. They find that the "baby of the litter" has turned into an unpredictable "monster". The fallout brings them closer together than they'd expected.

Alice, a political activist, has been found guilty of civil disobedience while taking part in an environmental protest and has been sentenced to community service in a psychiatric hospital. She has to look after Cam, who has been traumatised by a racist attack. When Cam refuses to extend her stay, Alice offers her the chance to move in with her. Cam begins to open up and Alice becomes increasingly fascinated.