Strawberry Bubblegums

Unlike other kids, 17-year-old Lucy has to take charge of most of her life. Her mother Paula is more girlfriend than parent and her father was never part of the picture. Until the day Lucy stumbles across her mother's past as a pornstar, realizing that her own existence is nothing more than a professional mishap. She feels cheated and the urge to meet her biological dad is now egged on by adolescent curiosity. She follows the trail to her mother's former co-star Udo - and they quickly develop one of the most wondrous Odd Couple-relationships we've seen in a long time. An aging Don Quixote of the porn-industry and a way too serious teenager. Who would have thought? André Hennicke is incredible as the tragic hero of a business, where physical and emotional cost are a dime a dozen. Fledgling director Benjamin Teske manages to ground even the most absurd situation in realism, making sure that this coming of age story is not just splendidly entertaining, but also enduringly poignant. Like in "Alice in Wonderland", he sends his heroine down the rabbit hole and into a world that might look as randomly colorful as a teenager's bedroom, but is colder than anything else adult life might throw at her. (Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg)