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The Best Time of My Life

synopsis

A small German town in the 90s. Florian, our main protagonist is a delicate boy, relentlessly bullied for his otherness. His pillar of strength is Charlotte, a model student, yearning for adventure. The two are secret friends and occasional sex buddies. Although far from perfect, the situation is in balance. Until they meet Saheed, a charismatic refugee, notorious for dealing drugs. For Florian, he soon becomes an inseparable friend who protects him from his bullies. But when Charlotte and Saheed fall in love, an explosive triangular relationship emerges. Florian sacrifices his intimate bond with Charlotte and engages in crimes to show loyalty to his protector. Charlotte is ostracised from her community for dating a refugee. And Saheed faces legal trouble, after Florian incites him to avenge his bullies. Things go from bad to worse, when Charlotte suffers a drug induced stroke and is left paralysed. Frustration and anger over this deeply unjust reality mounts, the sky darkens, and things take a tragic turn, leaving us to wonder: can the wrong decisions be the right choice?

Director’statement

This is a personal story. For decades I was too afraid to revisit the memories of my tumultuous youth. To this day I am haunted by the torment I endured, but also by the shame of what I did, trying to escape it. One of my old friends passing and the other one’s deportation to Afghanistan, compelled me to overcome my fears and finally revisit our story. Centered around the tale of an unlikely friendship, which transcends culture, gender and class, the series sets out to explore how far we are willing to go, to secure what we need the most. By confronting the young characters with existential problems and dilemmas, I want to challenge the common categories of right and wrong and advocate for a broad grey area. Set in a rough and realistic world, reminiscent of Nan Goldin’s unapologetic photography, the characters laugh, cry, and scream to the tunes of Hip Hop’s golden age. A show for young adults and for the teenager in all of us.

TFL PROGRAMME:
SeriesLab 2023

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