'Trial of Hein' Courtesy of Florian Mag Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment We may often think of islands as places of refuge and peace. But that is not the case in young German writer-director Kai Stänicke's feature film debut Trial of Hein (Der Heimatlose). But if you have had an experience of returning home to find that both this home and you yourself have changed, you will recognize the simmering tension and psychological undertones of this cinematic exploration of identity, memory, belonging, and the restrictions that communities can impose on us. The film tells the story of Hein, who, after 14 years on the mainland, returns to the place he is from, the only village on a remote island in the North Sea. To his surprise, the close-knit community no longer recognizes him. That is even true for his childhood friend Friedemann, who distances himself from the visitor despite their once unbreakable bond. The island community even convenes a village court to determine whether Hein is who he claims to be. The court hearings make evident that Hein's memories of his youth sharply differ from the recollections shared by witnesses. The mood in the village shifts from suspicion to open hostility as the locals become more and more convinced that Hein is an impostor. Related Stories Movies Fiona Shaw Stars in 'The Education of Jane Cumming' About Scottish Scandal Over Alleged Lesbian Affair (Exclusive Berlin Clip) Movies Nick Jonas Joins 'Bodyman' from 'Homefront' Director "On the verge of losing everything, Hein desperately searches for proof to validate his memories - only to realize what he has long refused to see," teases a synopsis. Indeed, Trial of Hein takes us onto the terrain of self-deception and self-acceptance. The movie, world premiering at the Berlin Film Festival as the opening film of the Perspectives section of new voices on Feb. 13, stars Paul Boche, Philip Günsch, Philip Froissant, Emilia Schüle, Jeanette Hain, Sebastian Blomberg, and Stephanie Amarell. Written and directed by Stänicke, the film features cinematography courtesy of Florian Mag, with editing handled by Susanne Ocklitz. Heretic is handling world sales on the movie produced by Tamtam Film, and co-produced by Lupa Film. The script for his debut feature film secured Stänicke, who has previously made live-action and animated shorts, such as Gay Goth Scene, Circle, and Pace, a place in the Berlinale Talents Script Station and a Wolfgang Kohlhaase scholarship. 'Trial of Hein' Courtesy of Florian Mag Stänicke talked to THR about the inspiration for and themes explored in Trial of Hein, how his personal experience played into it, and what's next for him. What was the genesis of Trial of Hein? The story is deeply personal to me. In some ways, it's my story. And it's based on my own experience. I grew up in a small rural town in Germany in the 1990s, and growing up there, I felt that I couldn't truly be myself for much of my youth. As a kid and as a teenager, you don't fully understand it, but when I moved to larger cities to study, I finally accepted parts of myself that I couldn't before. And when I came back to my hometown, I had so many emotions. Most of all, I felt that it was another life that I had lived there. It was a life that wasn't really my own, or it wasn't fully my own, and I could never go back to this life. This is where the core idea for the film came from. I loved how Hein's story also felt timely and like something I could relate to and probably a lot of other people can understand, even though it's set on a non-specified German island in a past that isn't fully defined... I always wanted to make it a bit of a parable. I wanted it to have this universal quality. The historic setting and the island, and all of these decisions were made because I wanted it to feel like a universal fairy tale, in a sense. For me, it was important not to pinpoint an exact time and location. The [COVID] pandemic actually helped a lot with the writing. During that time, I stayed at my parents' place. They live in a small farmer's village now. And while everyone was in lockdown, I wrote the first draft of the script. I think a lot of people could already relate to the story when reading the script, including people who don't have a queer background like me. My experience with the script was that many people have ambivalent feelings about their home and where they come from, or about returning home. 'Trial of Hein' Courtesy of Florian Mag Can you tell me a bit more about the island as the location for your fairy tale? An island felt like the natural choice because it can be quite isolated. The island in the film is, in a way, at the end of the world. It's somewhat otherworldly. I also wanted the community to be very reclusive and close-knit, so I introduced the