Completed - GERMAN - Drama - 98 minutes
Terminally ill, Lea surprises her family with her wish to die, consciously and controlled, on her own birthday. Her mother tries everything to prevent the plan. But things turn out differently. Tragic and dignified.
Year of production : 2013 Director(s) : Frederik STEINER Writer(s) : Barbara TE KOCK Cast : Bibiana BEGLAU, Johannes ZIRNER, Kerstin De Ahna DE AHNA, Lena Stolze STOLZE, Liv Lisa FRIES, Max HEGEWALD, Minh-Khai PHAN-THI, Sophie ROGALL Producer(s) : Andreas BAREIß (AndreasBareiß Pictures), Peter HEILRATH (Peter Heilrath Filmproduktion), Sven BURGEMEISTER (Goldkind Film)
“Zurich” tells the story of a bright, independent-minded twenty-year old, Lea, who’s been suffering from cystic fibrosis since birth. She watched her older brother, whom she idolized, fall victim to the same disease and elects not to endure the pain and suffering that snuffed out his short life. She plans with the stealthy assistance of her grandmother, to travel across the border to Zurich, to a private, legal clinic, to end her life. But she finds it an almost unimaginable act unless she is joined by her mother, older sister, and her beloved grandmother. Unflinching, uncompromising, and compassionate, “Zurich” blends gallows humour and bravery with a way past-due introduction to a different kind of pro-life debate.
Country(ies) : GERMANY
Hof International Film Festival 2013Camerimage 2013 ((Director´s Debuts Competition))Beijing IFF 2014Metropolis 2014 ("Metropolis" for Best Leading Actress)Max Ophüls Film Festival 2014 (Competition)Seoul IFF 2014