An undeniably ambitious but also very challenging depiction of four girls and women in four different eras and their lives on a farm in the Altmark region in eastern Germany.

Institutionalized abuse in days before World War I is contrasted with more modern concerns decades later, all in the same place – all of it united by complex portraits and the river that runs near the farm (and its eels…).

Much in the film is suggested (including the violence), much of it designed like a memory, a dream or a fantasy. That lends the film a haunting quality, even if there isn’t much of an emotional reaction.

2025-Germany. 155 min. Color. Directed by Mascha Schilinski. Screenplay: Mascha Schilinski, Louise Peter. Cinematography: Fabian Gamper. Costume Design: Sabrina Krämer. Cast: Lena Urzendowsky (Angelika), Laeni Geiseler (Lenka), Lea Drinda (Erika), Hanna Heckt (Alma), Susanne Wuest, Luise Heyer.

Trivia: Original title: In die Sonne schauen.

Cannes: Jury Prize. European Film Awards: Best Costume Designer.