Mein Freund, der Deutsche

From 9/11 to the Ukraine War: Five lifeworlds of post-migrant people in Germany, that have taken an unwanted turn in the shadow of public discourse.

Ben (11) and Tariq (12) have more in common than they realise. Both are new to school and football and have lost their homeland. Ben's village will soon became an open brown coal mine. He and his family move to a nearby city but Ben fails to fit in at his new school. Bullied, he returns secretly to his old, abandoned home. His one pleasure, football, pales with the arrival of Tariq, a Syrian refugee and better player. But when bureaucracy stops Tariq playing, he runs away, Ben finds him and learns that Tariq is desperate to be reunited with his scattered family. Jealousy on the football field becomes friendship and understanding.

Forced into homelessness, Melli, a single mother, takes her son Ben to a forest. There they build a makeshift camp, set back from the paths so that no one can find them. They think this solution is only temporary. Melli firmly believes their lives will improve soon, a feeling that is strengthened when she is employed as a trainee flight attendant. Unlike Melli, Ben actually enjoys the exciting camp trip. Life under difficult conditions further strengthens the bond between mother and son.

Oray speaks in a quarrel with his wife Burcu three times 'talaq', the islamic formula for repudiation. The imam informs him about the consequences: he has to divorce his wife. Now Oray is in a dilemma: Should he stay with Burcu or with the community?

Becky, Tommi and Maik form a right-wing terror cell that lives in the underground and is dreaming of country-wide attention. Entangled in a complex relationship of love, hate and friendship, they follow a path of destruction that leads to a series of violent crime. Their alleged values such as honor, pride and loyalty decline due to their increasing disorientation.