Langue Étrangère

German Cinema at the Institut français d’Écosse during our FOKUS: Films from Germany Festival.

FOKUS: Films from Germany, curated by Camilla Baier, presents the film "Langue Étrangère" by Claire Burger. The film will be shown in its original language with English subtitles.

2024 | Director: Claire Burger | Germany/France/Belgium | 105 minutes | German/French with English subtitles.

Langue Étrangère is a poignant coming-of-age drama about cross-cultural discovery. Fanny, a shy young French girl, embarks on a student exchange to Leipzig, where she stays with her eco-activist pen pal, Lena. As Fanny is drawn into the complexities of Lena’s politically charged family dynamics, she begins to question her own identity and assumptions.

Director Claire Burger deconstructs the typical foreign exchange narrative, presenting not an idealised family, but one grappling with generational and political tensions. Through this, the film unveils the personal struggles and societal challenges beneath the surface, as Fanny and Lena navigate their differences and form an unexpected bond.As well as strong performances from the two leads, Nina Hoss and Chiara Mastroianni bring depth to the roles of the girls' mothers, capturing their struggles to uphold their ideals amid the unraveling of their family lives.

With its exploration of language barriers, political tensions, and generational conflict, Langue Étrangère is a resonant meditation on the challenges facing young people today—climate anxiety, rising nationalism, and the search for belonging. It is a poignant reminder that true connection often transcends words, offering a narrative that speaks to the resilience needed to navigate our spiralling world.

The Screening is part of series "German cinema at the Institut français d’Écosse".