FAMILY DINNER

Tired of feeling down about her weight, plus-sized 15-year-old Simi heads to her aunt Claudia’s house for Easter weekend. Claudia is a popular nutritionist who’s written best-selling health books, so for Simi, spending a few days together could help change her diet and inspire weight loss. What should’ve been a nice holiday weekend with family, however, quickly reveals itself to be anything but. Simi’s cousin, Filipp, is curiously hostile towards her, while Filipp’s stepdad, Stefan, is curiously the opposite towards Simi, all while Claudia’s dietary guidance verges on becoming overly militant. What’s causing everyone to act so strangely and aggressively? The answers are even worse than Simi’s worst nightmares.

“I’ve always loved horror films because it’s one of the boldest and most experimental genres in which you can do a lot with very little money. I also think it’s one of the most cinematic genres. Of course, that attracted me a lot for my first film. I also decided early on that it should be a very small story with only a few characters. And without wanting to reveal too much: The resolution is based on nightmares I had as a small child. […] Horror is always about the extreme. Extreme situations, extreme characters. These have always been the stories I liked the most, because they are instantly unique, because they touch you deep inside. Horror touches our deepest primal fears, horror is always a borderline experience.”

DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Peter Hengl. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gabriel Krajanek. FILM EDITING: Sebastian Schreiner. PRODUCTION DESIGN: Pia Jaros. COSTUME DESIGN: Marlene Pleyl. CAST: Pia Hierzegger, Nina Katlein, Michael Pink, Alexander Sladek. PRODUCER: Lola Basara. PRODUCTION: Capra Film, Film AG.