"I have to say, this film felt like a minestrone with too many ingredients"

Etwas ganz Besonderes (Home Stories), written and directed by Eva Trobisch, premiered in competition at this year’s Berlinale. The film follows Lea, a young woman auditioning for a TV talent show who cannot answer the question: “Who are you and what defines you?” This becomes the starting point of her search for identity.

Lea’s life unfolds against the backdrop of her small hometown. Her family’s bed & breakfast is struggling, while a local museum is being renovated with EU funds. Her parents Matze and Rieke are freshly separated, Rieke is expecting another man’s child, and her grandparents are facing problems of their own with a forest hotel that loses more money than it makes. Lea’s best friend Bonny is wrapped up in love with Lea’s cousin, Edgar, and her aunt Kati, in charge of the museum, is both independent and isolated in the community.

I have to say, this film felt like a minestrone with too many ingredients.

There are a few unnecessary nude scenes that, for me, didn’t serve the story in any meaningful way.

And there are moments that could have been interesting, and the cast works hard, but overall I found myself disconnected.

The idea of a search for identity is a solid one, but Home Stories never really finds its own. It hops from subplot to subplot – family tensions, regional economics, personal drama – without ever giving any of them enough space to breathe. The film feels overwhelming rather than engaging, and by the end I felt more exhausted than curious.