The State I am In

Colour, 35mm
Germany, 2000, 108 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

For 15 years now Clara and Hans, German ex-terrorists, have been leading an underground existence, always on the run. But they also broke a taboo by conceiving a daughter. Jeanne is fifteen now. Hiding among the anonymous tourists on the beaches of Portugal, the three of them are trying their best to live a normal life. But you can’t lead a normal life if your parents are wanted terrorists. Jeanne never swapped clothes with her friends, never skipped classes in school, never camped out in tents nor got drunk with her friends because she was never able to go to school or have schoolmates. A banal break-in at the family’s apartment deprives them of all their financial means. Clara and Hans have to return to Germany to ask their ex-friends for help. But things aren’t what they once were. What’s more, Jeanne falls in love. A love which will lead to tragedy and destroy the family.

About the director

Christian Petzold (b. 1960, Hilden) moved to Berlin in 1981 where he studied German and Theatre Science. He has worked for television and as a film critic. 1988-1994 studied at the film school in Berlin (DFFB) and worked as an assistant director.