Hounds

Colour, 35 mm
Germany, 2007, 86 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Christmas is coming soon. Henrik and his 16-year-old son Lars live together, isolated from local inhabitants, on an old farmstead in the north-eastern corner of Germany. The barn is soon to be renovated as a wedding hotel. The relationship between father and son is marked by a complete lack of communication. When Lars learns about an affair his father is having with his aunt Jana, he feels even more isolated. When Lars meets Marie, they roam together through the enchanted wintry countryside. The family chaos at the festival of love reaches a peak when Lars’ mother unexpectedly shows up with her lover. The future venue for wedding couples turns into a battlefield of emotions. A story of proximity and distance, of the fragile structure of families and the point in time when it becomes necessary to withdraw in order to rediscover love.

About the director

Ann-Kristin Reyels (b. 1976, Leipzig) worked as an assistant on various film and television productions and directed a stage play together with four other student directors at the Maxim Gorky Theater in Berlin in 2004. In 2001–2007 she studied directing at the Konrad Wolf Film and Television Academy in Potsdam-Babelsberg. After a number of short films, Hounds is Ann-Kristin Reyels’ first feature-length film.