Another German competition film from this year’s Berlinale makes it to the screen. There was plenty of applause for Feo Aladag’s Inbetween Worlds after the press screening. It didn’t end up winning any bears, but that doesn’t mean anything really…
Jesper is a German soldier and comes to Afghanistan for the second time. Although he recently lost his brother to the war, he decides to come back. As the leader of a small group he is supposed to save a small village from Taliban attacks. In order to allow the soldiers and villagers to communicate, the army hires a translator, young Afghan Tarik. But the cultural differences are too massive, only Jesper and Tarik become something like friends. When Tarik’s sister is threatened because he works with the Germans, Jesper has to decide if he sticks to orders and put her in danger or if he allows his friend to bring her to the village.
The film shows war in a way that hasn’t got much to do with other war films I’ve seen. It’s very slow, but intense, the tension is high and the horror and everyday life of war become tangible. I didn’t think Inbetween Worlds was the best film at the Berlinale, but it moved me and is certainly worth watching.
Again there’s no English trailer. So here’s the German one:
