Synopsis
As children we practically devoured ’The Flying Classroom‘, ’Emil and the Detectives‘, and ’The Parent Trap‘ – with a flashlight under the covers. Today we ask ourselves, who was this man, Erich Kästner, who always smiled at us from the photograph on the book jacket? What kind of person resides behind the cheerful, witty, and at times aggressive façade? What is the deal with ’his doppelganger‘ and the ’other Erich‘ that he frequently talks and writes about? At first appearance Erich Kästner seems to be a transparent person, easy to grasp: a clever sceptic, who’s every spoken and written word can be taken with a grain of salt. A lyrical chronologist, who never wants to stop believing “that people could become better, if you entreat them, insult them, and laugh at them often enough.” He was an exceptionally gifted children’s author who absorbs and records children’s urban slang and haunts like no other. His clear language and sober humour has whisked children and youths off into the world of literature – from the 1920s up to today. The film, ERICH KÄSTNER – THE OTHER FACE delves into the world of a man living and writing on a razor-edge for decades.With: Matthias Bundschuh, Lisa Wagner, Henrietter Schmidt, Tomas Spencer, Clelia Sarto, Daniel Nerlich