Foreign Language

Leipzig, present day. Fanny (Lilith Grasmug) is looking for a fresh start when she arrives by train from Strasbourg as part of a foreign exchange program. Fanny will stay at the home of her pen pal, Lena (Josefa Heinsius, in an electric debut) and her single mother (Nina Hoss), but soon encounters a household in flux. The girls don’t immediately hit it off; Fanny is shy and withdrawn, and whilst she can understand Deutsch, her ability to speak it is patchy, whereas the outspoken and larger-than-life Lena exudes confidence and is eager to engage with the world’s maladies through political activism (even if her mother’s inability to accept her ex-husband’s new relationship is proving increasingly challenging). But Fanny is quickly enthralled by Lena and soon draws her in with stories of her family that seem designed to earn attention.

The teens quickly develop a strong, life-changing bond, encouraging one another’s rebellious streaks in increasingly provocative ways. But when it is time for Lena to return the visit and stay with Fanny and her well-meaning parents (Chiara Mastroianni and Jalal Altawil) in France, things begin to unravel...

Co-written by fellow rising filmmaker Léa Mysius, Burger’s fresh and disarmingly intelligent film is a compelling journey through not only the preoccupations of today’s adolescents, but also Franco-German relations. Eliciting tremendous performances and remarkable chemistry from her two young leads, Burger’s dynamic film confirms her promise as one of European cinema’s brightest new voices.