This utterly surprising debut gets cinematically richer with every twist and turn – allowing for moments of fabulously deranged buddy comedy, touching a sense of Western, always staying true to being a descent into the abyss of the human mind and desire.

Easily standing out among young films produced in Germany in recent years, “Other Cannibals” finds its cinematic roots in Italy. Inspired by a strangely emotional conversation of two middle-aged men he observed years ago, director Francesco Sossai came up with an imagined story for them. His protagonists Fausto and Ivan attempt to break humanity’s oldest taboo. In a remote valley eaten away by industrial towns, they struggle to come to terms with the decision they both made. More and more it shows: What drives them to radical conclusions is the urge to escape their unbearable everyday existence.

The Italian Dolomites play a role of their own, as the director explains: „These mountains at times make you feel like you are trapped there forever and at times make you dream of faraway places.“ A fabulous backdrop for an impossible journey.

Christop Gröner