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Cocoon

Country: Germany, Language: German, 95 mins

Original Title

Kokon

Director: Leonie Krippendorff
Writer: Leonie Krippendorff
Producer: Jost Hering

CGiii Comment

It has taken 4 years for Leonie Krippendorff's sophomore film. The big question is: Was it worth the wait?

And...the answer is: A resounding...YES! It - deservedly - won the Iris Prize Best Feature Award...and, it was up against some stiff competition.

So...what makes this film so special? Easy...Lena Urzendowsky [as Nora], she carries the trivia and trauma of the terrible teens with fragility and strength. The empathy she evokes is off the Richter scale.

Please...do not discard this film as one of those middle-of-the-road, coming-of-age, all-too-familiar tales of blossoming sexuality. It is most definitely not one of those.

This has grit, spit, booze and blood...and, hallelujah, there-is-an-independent-cinematic-god...polish. And, that polish is down to Frau Krippendorff's dexterity with words, actors and camera. Just like with any teenager, the emotions are all over the place...but, the story-telling is tighter than a Champagne cork.

There's light. There's shade. There's sensuality. There's effervescence and adolescence like you haven't seen before.

A gem of a film...and this comes from a grumpy old queen!

And...here's where you can watch it: https://www.cocoonfilm.co.uk/

Trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

“We're like fish in a fish tank. We keep swimming round in circles, from one end of Kotti to the other and back again, until we eventually manage to jump out of the tank.”

Berlin-Kreuzberg is Nora’s microcosm. Nora, the silent observer, is always tagging along: At parties, at school, at the pool, on rooftops and in apartments. Nora drifts around the monotonous housing blocks with her big sister and her friends, witnessing events that seem to cross-fade in the summer light. Girls who want to be slim and pretty, boys who say dumb things to provoke or because they are in love. Ruthless smartphone cameras and fragile teenagers. But Nora has her own way of looking at the world, and when she meets Romy, she realizes why. There is music in the air, Nora’s body is changing, and caterpillars are spinning their cocoons. Realistic and taking on the protagonist’s perspective, this film captures a summer of change.