MEPHISTO-EFFEKT

MEPHISTO-EFFEKT

Director: Igor Zaritzki
Feature film  | D | 2013
86 min

47th Hof International Film Festival
2013

Lea, a 23-year-old student, is in the middle of a professional and personal crisis: she’s unhappy with her studies, her side job in a real estate office is no fun, and her long-term boyfriend has gone abroad for six months. Then she meets Ryan, a mysterious and charming man. A chat turns into an interesting and fascinating conversation about art, culture, dreams and goals. Lea and Ryan go out for a meal, visit a gallery, drink cocktails in a bar, and end up in bed.

The next morning, Ryan has disappeared. Lea doesn’t know how to deal with the events of the night before. She asks her friend Laura for advice. While Lea is waiting for her in a café, Daniel, a rude and aggressive man, takes a seat at her table. Lea feels uncomfortable. Despite her asking him to leave, he remains seated. When Lea calls for the waitress, Daniel shows her a picture of her and Ryan in bed. Lea is flabbergasted. What first seems like an attempt at blackmail becomes a fascinating odyssey into the depths of the human soul, in which Lea and Ryan must assume responsibility for their actions.