Mein Stern

In a fragmentary narrative style, Mein Stern follows the stages of a tender love story between two teenagers (Nicole Gläser and Christopher Schöps) in Berlin-Mitte. However, the initial light-heartedness is soon overtaken by uncertainty: their feelings are too fragile, the uncharted territory of adulthood they are entering too unfamiliar for doubts not to creep into their adolescent world. Valeska Grisebach's stunning feature film debut is also her graduation film from the Vienna Film Academy; she wrote part of the screenplay together with the young, talented amateur actors. Accompanied by a documentary-style camera, the filmmaker sensitively describes the silent power struggles of the two teenagers, who are not quite sure whether they want to be a couple, and in doing so creates a realistic picture of Berlin at the turn of the millennium, far removed from the glitzy clichés of the big city. (A.P.)