Germany, 2019, 112 min., Director: Alireza Golafshan, Screenplay: Alireza Golafshan, Cast: Tom Schilling, Jella Haase, Birgit Minichmayr, Axel Stein
Festivals/Prizes:
- Limited premiere in the Lola Series at the 69th Berlinale, February 2019
- German cinema release in March 2019
- International premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2019
Rating: PG-13
Banker and portfolio manager Oliver lives life in the fast lane – the very lane that brings life as he knows it to an abrupt end. After crashing through a guardrail and flipping his car, while driving around a traffic jam at 145 mph, Oliver awakes in the hospital with a devastating diagnosis: paralysis from the waist down. In denial about his condition and determined to move forward as if nothing has changed, Oliver is uncooperative in rehabilitation and cares more about the facility’s wi-fi connection than physical therapy.
One day, Oliver happens upon an apartment shared by four roommates with disablities: cynical alcoholic Magda is blind, clever Rainman has autism, tough-girl Franzi has Down Syndrome, and shy Michi has autism. Collectively known as “The Goldfish” after their shared pet, the gang’s caregivers are Laura, an idealist who wants to excel at her dream job after completing her studies in special-needs education, and Eddy, who hates his job as a nurse. When Oliver’s friend is caught hiding a stash of dirty money in Switzerland, Oliver – who has a stash of his own – quickly hatches a plan. He and The Goldfish must undertake a road trip to Switzerland and safely bring the money back over the German border – but how?
Alireza Golafshan was born in 1986 in Tehran, Iran. In 1998, the family moved to Germany. Golafshan first studied philosophy and art history in Munich; in 2008 he successfully applied to the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (HFF), where he made several short films. The 45-minute tragedy
Behinderte Ausländer (2013) brought him to the attention of producer Justyna Muesch. The tragicomedy
Die Goldfische (
The Goldfish) opened in cinemas at the end of March 2019 to very positive reviews.
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