Alemania

A teenager must choose between family and a life-changing adventure abroad in this tender coming-of-age story.

Sixteen-year-old Lola sneaks out to nightclubs, is learning to drive and is experiencing the stirrings of first love. Most of all, what she longs for is to cross the Atlantic and spend a semester on exchange in Germany. Sadly, her parents’ financial pressures, her own so-so academic record and her close but troubled bond with her older sister Julieta all stand in her way. When Julieta experiences a mental health crisis, further plunging their family into upheaval, Lola must face a choice: whether to live out her dream or sacrifice it to support the people she loves.

Receiving multiple awards at the Cine Ceará film festival and reminiscent of thoughtful coming-of-age dramas such as Lady Bird and Eighth Grade, María Zanetti’s partly autobiographical debut feature offers an aching and sensitive portrayal of the turbulence of adolescence and the stability found in blood ties. Immersing viewers in the milieu of Buenos Aires in the final decade of the 20th century – complete with the era’s fashion, TV sets, hairstyles and cassette tapes – Alemania is both nostalgic for a recent past and deeply relatable for teens of all ages.

“A simple but profound story about family relationships and the solidarity of friendship framed in a not-so-distant milieu.” – La Nación