Production
If children don't learn from an early age that people are different, when will they? The documentary focuses on four children at the inclusive Berg Fidel primary school in Münster. Director Hella Wenders spent three years following David, Jakob, Lucas, and Anita with her camera at school, at home, and in their free time. While the idea of an open school is currently the subject of lively debate, this sensitive portrait film gives the children a voice. They talk about themselves and share their dreams and concerns with us. The viewer is impressed by how naturally they interact with each other and becomes part of a small world that functions in a miraculous way.
There is Franz, suing the company that has made him redundant after 40 years. Then, for nine months, he holds out in an empty office with nothing to do. There is Stephan who, for eight days and nights, sits on a chair that is part of a giant billboard. Selling yourself is sometimes the quickest way to pay your debts. There is Saskia, the high school graduate, learning how to put together the perfect application. There is Gunnar who is being taught that perceiving your own body as trademark is the key to success. Franz finally wins his lawsuit only to realise he has lost all the same. DEVIL HIDES IN DOUBT is a film about the emotional push and pull of work, its demands and absurdities, and the struggle for fulfilment.
A charming young German meets his biological parents and siblings in Dubai. The wealthy Iraqi family has found their new home there. Their son Sinan grew up in Hesse with his German adoptive mother and now lives and works in Berlin. The camera is almost invisible and very precise in "My father. My uncle." is always present when Sinan encounters the family, language, religion and culture of his ancestors - it is the discovery of a foreign world, an alternative life that he would have lived if he had grown up with his brothers. For Sinan's parents, he has always been part of the family. They have longed all their lives for the return of their prodigal son and now accept him with unconditional love. They make plans, dream of a life together in Iraq and make suggestions for a future wife. Actually, it would also be nice if Sinan converted to Islam.
