A Summer Tale

I have grand ambitions for this film. I want it to tackle internalised racism. I want it to tell a story in which a young protagonist learns to de-assimilate himself and eventually overcomes his desire to “be German”. I want it to be funny, but not only that; I also want it to talk about funniness and how deep-seated shame can make us want to turn ourselves into the butt of the joke. In short, I want nothing less but to have this film elevate the genre of teen sex comedies to capital “A” Art. Comedy is not something us Germans tend to do well. Thankfully, I’m also Indonesian. I see this as a great asset now, but as a teenager I just wanted to be like everyone else. My father named me Berthold, because he wanted me to be as German as possible. But in a way this backfired on him, because I became so German that I could only see him through that lens of xenophobia that he tried to protect me from. I wish a film like this had existed when I was a teenager to help me make sense of all these complicated emotions. But given the political currents, this story is even more relevant today.