Where Are You Going, Habibi?
Original Title
Wo willst du hin, Habibi?- Director: Tor Iben
- Writer: Tor Iben
- Producer: Susanna Duellmann
CGiii Comment
The production values are minimum...the plotholes are gargantuan.
The editing...someone went a little mad with the scissors...the longest scene in the film is about meatballs! Most scenes last no more than 10 seconds...with a dizzying effect.
It took four writers to come up with this erratic script...which runs at a - measly-for-a-feature - 68 minutes. Plugging up those plotholes with some extra dialogue would have - at least - stretched this film to an acceptable runtime. If your audience is paying to see a feature...make it feature length!
The central character comes across as a complete, docile idiot...of course you would unwittingly burgle a house!!!Of course you would 'play a lamp' in exchange for a bed!!! Of course you would pay a fine for a botched bank robber!!!
The film does go from one ridiculous scenario to another within seconds and, by the end, is all neatly wrapped up with a multitude of loose ends!
Independent film-making is an uphill struggle...you need to have the required skillset to have a chance of getting to the top...
A good place to start...make sure you have enough material to make a cohesive feature...it seems that this is a consistent problem with Herr Iben...!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Ibrahim, a young German of Turkish descent, leads a dual life: he lives with his tradition-bound family, but outside home he is a confident gay man looking to find love and a job. Nothing is going to stop the enterprising “Ibo” as he finds his own way in life despite friction from his family and falling in love with the “wrong” person—in this case, Ali, a handsome German wrestler and petty thief. With a subtle and sweet touch, writer-director Tor Iben (DAS PHALLOMETER, SLGFF 2014) and lead actor Cem Alkan create a lovable character who, despite setbacks, is very clear about what will make him happy and where he needs to go.
Cast & Characters
Cem Alkan as Ibo;
Martin Walde as Ali;
Tuncay Gary as Ibos Father;
Neil Malik Abdullah as Onkel Mehmet;
Ozay Fecht as Tante Ayfer;
Rana Farahani as Pelin;
Ilknur Boyraz as Ibos Mutter;
Alexander Becht as Lukas;
Canan Kir as Songul;
Samir Moussa as Krille;
Uwe Mayer as Adam;
Ulrich Gunther as Professor;
Christian Paul as Polizist 1;
Andrea Forster as Krankenschwester 1;
Tahsin Ocak as Nachbar