There‘s the baby thing, for example. Everyone assumes that‘s the next step. Gerry, the best friend and colleague at the school Charlie works at, says “5 years together, you have to hurry if you want to travel far away.“ The quasi sister-in-law makes propaganda “it would be so nice, ours would be 2 year old then, it would be perfect!“ and Charlie‘s boyfriend Marco knows her cycle better than she does. He generously offers to babysit the nephew and ignores Charlie‘s objections “you don‘t have to do anything, I‘ll do it.“ Yeah, sure.

Philip Eicholtz‘s (LUCA TANZT) film RÜCKENWIND VON VORN is about Charlie, a Berliner in her mid-twenties whose life is just beginning to take shape. A too rigid shape. Each conventional step makes Charlie‘s resistance grow. She plays it down and says “I‘m not planning anything for now,“ smiles reluctantly, secretly keeps taking the pill, and plans a trip to South Korea where her best friend is traveling. She avoids confrontation. RÜCKENWIND follows the progression of this discomfort, a barely conscious annoyance that becomes a obvious and clear thought which requires decisions with consequences. As always, Eichholtz works with a quickly assembled screenplay, a lot of improvisation, and not a lot of money. His production company isn‘t called “Funded by Grandma“ for nothing. The fact that the screenplay was written in no time can be felt, but RÜCKENWIND has a pleasant type of ordinariness in its best moments. Charlie, with her vague, unspoken wishes, and Marco, who is comfortably situated in his relationship and doesn‘t know what‘s going on, could be a couple. Eichholtz deals with the big questions in ordinary ways as well: family planning – yes or no? To leave or to stay? Perhaps it‘s not about what happens, but how it happens.

Toni Ohms

Translation: Elinor Lewy