“A thought-provoking and controversial sci-fi fable from a new Austrian talent”, noted the jury. The Trouble With Being Born, Sandra Wollner’s directorial debut, launched at the Berlinale Encounters, earlier this year is the winner of the Cinema
Extraordinaire competition at the Bergen International Film Festival.
The jury’s view on The Trouble With Being Born:
A thought-provoking and controversial sci-fi fable from a new Austrian talent.
In a remote villa somewhere in Austria lives ten-year-old Elli and the man she refers to as “papa”. However, the relationship
between the two is not what it seems at first glance. For one thing, “papa” touches Elli in a way no adult should ever touch
a child. For the other, Elli is a robot. Combining ideas from Spike Jonze’s Her and Alex Garland’s Ex Machina with the stark
and unpleasant tone of Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl, Sandra Wollner’s stylish and atmospheric sci-fi film poses some very
uncomfortable questions.
