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Impatience of the Heart

original title: Ungeduld des Herzens

2025, 104 min., color, German

CATEGORIES : Drama, Debut
COUNTRY: Germany
PRODUCTION :

BUDGET : 160 000 euro

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

CAST

Giulio Brizzi, Ladina von Frisching, Livia Matthes, Thomas Loibl

CREW

Director :

Lauro Cress

Screenplay : Lauro Cress, Florian Plumeyer
Cinematographer : Jan David Günther
Producers : Lorenzo Gandolfo

COMMENTS

FESTIVALS: Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney, Neisse Film Festival 202, Achtung Berlin 2025, Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2025, Film Festival Max Ophuls Preis 2025

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: Hot-tempered Isaac lives a life on probation. From himself and his mother, whom he has disappointed too often. When the soldier from a humble background meets the wealthy family, he has the chance to reinvent himself. He is seduced by what the family sees in him. He wants to fulfill this image so much that he talks himself into feelings he doesn’t feel and promises things he can’t keep. In his 1939 novel, Stefan Zweig describes a detachment from one’s own feelings that seems more relevant today than ever before. At a time when we are chasing our identity on Instagram and authenticity has become a currency, we constantly have the feeling of not being enough, of not feeling enough, of not being real.l

SYNOPSIS

On a night out, a young soldier tries to improve his chances with an attractive older woman by courting her grumpy sister. But when Isaac (23) playfully pulls Edith (22) off a bench, she slumps limply to the floor. Only now does he discover her wheelchair parked on the side. Isaac tries to clear up the misunderstanding, but a scuffle ensues with some of the regulars and his comrades.
Burdened with shame, Isaac is urged to correct the sisters’ image of him. He makes an effort to connect with Edith, and an unexpected friendship develops between the two. His impulsive nature even reawakens the fickle young woman’s courage to face life.
But when Edith falls in love with the soldier, who is so desperately searching for a sense of purpose and recognition, misfortune takes its course.

PRESS

“From a cautious approach grows a love 3 a love that promises support like a delicately woven net, but in the end crushes and takes away all freedom. With a class-conscious look, great sensitivity and an electrifying acting ensemble, this film tells about the state of restless longing, about the loss of one’s own identity and the fear of never having really had one. At the same time, he unfolds a quiet hope that releases strength – even in us. It is as rough and edgy as his protagonist, a diamond in the rough, full of fragile and painful beauty.” – Jury reasoned, Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis 2025

“I wanted to show that my protagonist wants to have a purpose in life; he wants to be part of something…” “First of all, I was more driven by an interest in a certain character, around which I wanted to tell stories. Since a very early age, I’ve been a fan of Stefan Zweig. I think what really intrigues me is how subtly he talks about the psychology of the characters and what happens when certain people meet each other. He analyses these encounters in a lot of depth. At film school, I tried to adapt one of his short stories…” – Lauro Cress to Teresa Vena, Cineuropa

“Was mich gereizt hat, war die Abgeschnittenheit der Gefühle beim Protagonisten: Isaac, wie er in meinem Film heißt, weiß relativ schnell nicht mehr, was er spürt, was er denkt, was die anderen von ihm erwarten. Ich fand das Thema des Romans nah dran an dem, was man heute im Umgang mit Social Media merkt. Man hat zwar seinen eigenen Account, den man auch selbst kontrolliert, den man gestaltet. Aber man wird doch auch schnell die Geisel von der Idee, die man sich da von sich selbst fabriziert. Das bezieht sich nicht nur auf den Social-Media-Bereich. Ich finde, dass es ein generell allgegenwärtiges Thema ist.” – Lauro Cress to Barbara Schuster, The SPOT

Stilsichere, tiefgründige Charakterstudie eines Bundeswehrsoldaten, der sich aus Mitleid mit der querschnittsgelähmten Tochter eines reichen Bauunternehmers einlässt…. Die wachsende Anspannung wird von einem schräg-düsteren, unter die Haut kriechenden elektronischen Sounddesign untermalt, als hätte tatsächlich Derek Cianfrances Ryan-Gosling-Thriller „The Place Beyond the Pines“ Pate gestanden, der ebenfalls wie ein Biker-Film beginnt und sich zu einem Schicksalsdrama über Männlichkeit, Schuld und Versagen entwickelt. – Corinna Götz, The SPOT

Regisseur Lauro Cress hat die Rahmenhandlung des Romans von Stefan Zweig, eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen einer Frau mit Behinderung und einem Soldaten, von der k. u. k. Armee ins Bundeswehrmilieu verlegt, andere Schwerpunkte gesetzt und den schwiemeligen Schluss des Romans angenehm modernisiert. Es ist auch eine Beziehung über Klassengrenzen hinweg, präzise inszeniert und hervorragend gespielt, vor allem von Giulio Brizzi in der Rolle des Soldaten, der Rauheit (gerade in den seltsamen Ritualen der Soldaten) mit einer großen Einfühlsamkeit verbindet. – Rudolf Worschech, epd FILM