GFF25: Cicadas

Australian premiere

Zikaden

Written and directed by Ina Weisse (The Audition) this captivating and intimate drama direct from the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival stars the splendid Nina Hoss (Tár, The Audition) as a high-end real estate agent caught up in personal conflict.

Isabell's (Hoss) life takes a turn when it becomes clear that her ageing parents need more assistance in their living arrangements. While searching for in-home help and navigating her complicated marriage to Philippe (Vincent Macaigne), she shuttles between Berlin and her parents' weekend house in a small Brandenburg village —a striking modernist home designed by her architect father.

There, Isabell encounters the enigmatic Anja (Saskia Rosendahl, Fabian: Going to the Dogs), a single mother struggling to make ends meet. As Anja and her young daughter Greta weave themselves into Isabell's life, an unexpected bond begins to form. Yet despite a yearning for meaningful connection, Isabell feels increasingly uncertain about her meticulously planned life, sensing the ground shifting beneath her feet as she begins to lose control.

German, French with English subtitles and English

OFFICIAL SELECTION | Berlin International Film Festival 2025 (Panorama)