You Believe in Angels, Mr. Drowak?

A tragicomic modern fairy tale with strong-willed characters, quirky humour and a touch of magic: Nicolas Steiner’s feature-film debut delights with its imaginative visual style and impressive ensemble cast, led by Luna Wedler, Karl Markovics and Lars Eidinger.

Lena is an optimistic student who always believes in the good in people. When she applies for a position as a writing tutor for a social project, she has no idea that her only student will turn out to be a bitter, alcoholic misanthrope: Hugo Drowak. Against all odds, Drowak begins to write and reveals a surprising talent. Lena is thrilled, and her ambitions awaken. With her indomitable optimism, she inspires his creativity and encourages him to write about the transformative power of love. But as he delves deeper into his memories, he inadvertently awakens demons from the past. The more he writes, the more his memories threaten to take hold of him and consume him completely.

Nicolas Steiner’s tragicomedy is reminiscent of French cinema in the spirit of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (a comparison reinforced by the appearance of actor Dominique Pinon as Drowak’s neighbour. Pinon became internationally known through his collaborations with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, including Amélie). The Swiss director (born in 1984 in Sion, Valais) has previously directed award-winning short films and documentaries, including Above and Below, which received two German and three Swiss film awards in 2015. This is his first feature film, and it had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Cinematography. The ensemble is led by Swiss actor Luna Wedler, who also appears in the film 22 Lengths, and Austrian actor Karl Markovics (Kongens nei (2016), The Fox (TFD 2023), What You Can See From Here (TFD 2023)), who plays Hugo Drowak. Lars Eidinger (also appearing in this year’s film Visitation) plays the eccentric and strict department head.

This film is screened in collaboration with the Swiss Embassy in Oslo.