In 2002 indie rock band Union Youth from Bad Bentheim were the next big thing and had the chance of having an international career in the music business. After it became known that the musicians were being courted by the US label of nu metal icon Fred Durst and rejected the appealing record deal, other local major labels try to snatch the quartet led by excessive singer and guitarist Matthias Exler. But something went awry with the dream of big rock stardom. At one point the band suddenly disappeared from the music business and they officially disbanded in 2006. 10 years later filmmakers Christian von Brockhausen and Timo Großpietsch follow Exler and drummer Michael Borwitzky‘s attempt to start again in Berlin with the new band project “Pictures.“ Along Suppressed feelings and old wounds stand in their way as well as Exler‘s erratic drug and alcohol addiction, though he does decide to go to rehab somewhere in Brandenburg. The goal of reliving the dream of a music career which burst due to excess and arrogance gives him something to hold on to. But during the preparations for the upcoming tour, the threat of relapse looms over. Brockhausen and Großpietsch find expressive images for Exler‘s battle with his inner demons and interweave the main plot with archival material from the band‘s history that seem like a long-forgotten fever dream. Friendship, doubt, trust, youth, intoxication, and addiction – KÖNIGE DER WELT has a lot of topics, but it‘s first and foremost a strong and personal film about musicians.

Jens Mayer

Translation: Elinor Lewy