Lollipop Monster (2011) [N/A]
Featuring:
Jella Haase, Sarah Horvath, Nicolette Krebitz
Written by:
Ziska Riemann
Luci Van Org
Directed by:
Ziska Riemann
Release Date:
February 14, 2011
Original Title:
Lollipop Monster
Alternate Titles:
Friedenau
Genres:
Drama
Production Companies:
ZDF
Production Countries:
Germany
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 90
Ari and Oona go to the same school. Lolita-like Ari, is blonde, pouting and lives in a world of bright colours, frustrated by her mother still treating her as a child, while arty Oona dresses in black and is treated as an adult by her artist father. When Oona’s father commits suicide after his wife has an affair with his brother Lukas, Oona starts to self-harm, but finds and unlikely friendship with Ari. Ari’s enthusiasm for exerting her sexuality rebounds when she starts an affair with Oona’s uncle, who has recently moved in with Oona’s mother.
Ari and Oona. Two 15-year-old girls, two dysfunctional families. Absolute opposites, yet somehow similar. No one listens, no one hears. Ari feels misunderstood and compensates for this by having sex with unknown men; Oona expresses the pain over her beloved father's suicide through self-mutilation and morbid drawings. Opposites attract. Ari is a blonde who paints herself up like a canary; Oona loves things as black as night. Their unlikely friendship helps them survive their families' hypocrisy. Ari finally gains some kind of self-respect, and Oona learns to give vent to her pain. Then something happens that threatens their friendship at its very roots.... The scope of the debuting director's creative interests is evident both in the mix of cinematic devices that enrich the narration (animated passages, amateur film recordings, music videos), as well as in the artistic stylization, which directly references her grounding in comics.
