Silent Youth

Observational drama written and directed by Diemo Kemmesies that focuses on the awkward budding relationship of a German and a Russian. On a break from school to visit a friend in Berlin, young and reserved engineering student Marlo (Martin Bruchmann) has a chance encounter with Kirill (Josef Mattes), who has travelled from Russia to visit his grandmother and has recently been the victim of a homophobic attack. The pair bond as they explore the city together but it seems neither can overcome their respective anxieties enough to further their relationship amid the intermittent conversation. Marlo seems happy just to have found a new friend but the more the extroverted Kirill opens up to him, the more confused Marlo becomes about the future of their relationship.