Soul of a Beast

completed / Fiction

A 17-year-old finds himself in a turbulent conflict between his responsibilities as a father and his youthful yearnings to be free, as well as between friendship and true love.

Gabriel, a 17-year-old skater, has the sole care of his son Jamie and is torn between the loss of his youthful freedom and the responsibilities of being a young father. When he meets the enigmatic Cory, his best friend’s new girlfriend, they fall in love. In the presence of a magnificent giraffe, the planets begin to move and a state of emergency is declared in the city: Wild animals have escaped from the zoo. In the midst of this, Joel, his best friend, finds out about the love between Gabriel and Cory and Jamie’s unpredictable mother decides she wants to take her son from Gabriel. As Gabriel’s life spirals out of control against a backdrop of escaping animals, he continues to court Cory. Their love grows, but so does the threat of losing Jamie. Joel, deeply hurt by the betrayal of his friendship with Gabriel, races off on his motorbike toward a terrible accident.

Switzerland
Duration 120 min.
Genre Urban Love Story
Languages German
Coproduction Hesse Film, 8horses, Milan Film, The Hub Media, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, blue
Producers Simon Hesse, Lorenz Merz, Cyrill Gerber, Julien Wagner
Screenplay and Director Lorenz Merz
Premiere 2021 at 74. Locarno Film Festival, Int. Competition

Festivals (a selection)
43. Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken
57. Solothurner Filmtage
46th Cleveland International Film Festival
17th ECU The European Independent Film Festival Paris
40. Festival Cinematográfico internacional del Uruguay
23. Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente BAFICI
Atlanta Film Festival
21st Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival

Awards (a selection)
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis:
Bester Schauspielnachwuchs 2022 (Winner), Pablo Caprez
Preis Der Filmkritik – Bester Spielfilm 2022 (Winner)
Beste Regie 2022 (Winner), Lorenz Merz

ECU The European Independent Film Festival:
Europe’s Best Independent Film 2022 (Winner)
Best Actor 2022 (Winner), Pablo Caprez

Locarno Film Festival:
Special Mention Pardo (Concorso internazionale) 2021 (Winner)
Ecumenical Prize 2021 (Winner)

Zürich, Swiss Film Award:
Best Fiction Film 2022 (Nomination)
Best Performance in a Supporting Role 2022 (Nomination), Luna Wedler
Best Film Score 2022 (Winner), Lorenz Merz

Cinema CH: 2022, 2023

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