Too far away by Sarah Winkenstette

The first film to be screened this month in our series German Cinema @ Suchitra is Too far away (Zu weit weg) by Sarah Winkenstette.

12-year-old Ben’s village will soon be an open brown coal mine. He and his family move to a nearby city but Ben fails to fit in at his new school. Bullied, he returns secretly to his old, abandoned home. His one pleasure, football, pales with the arrival of 12-year-old Tariq, a Syrian re­fugee and better player.

But when bureaucracy stops Tariq playing and he runs away, Ben finds him and learns that Tariq is desperate to be reunited with his scattered family. To cheer him up, Ben shares his biggest secret: the village. Jealousy on the football field becomes friendship and understanding. So when Tariq’s brother calls from Amsterdam, wanting Tariq to join him, he will leave with happy memories and Ben can finally feel at home in his new life.