Langue Etrangère
Tragicomic film about a shy French schoolgirl who goes on an exchange to Germany. To impress her German pen pal, she invents a different life for herself, but soon becomes entangled in a web of lies.
LANGUE ETRANGÈRE depicts the bittersweet and boundary-testing friendship between two 17-year-old schoolgirls – one German, one French – as they grapple with how to understand themselves and others around them in a post-pandemic world.
The shy and withdrawn Fanny is looking for a fresh start when she arrives in Leipzig by train from Strasbourg as part of a foreign exchange program, where she is staying at the home of her pen pal Lena, a political activist in training, and her single mother. The teens don’t immediately hit it off; but they soon 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 in France, things begin to unravel.
Growing up is of all times. However, the challenges involved are different for each generation. Claire Burger makes it palpable that for today's youth, coping with war, climate change and the rise of the far-right is an uphill struggle.