A poet's diary fragments become a fever dream of powdered wigs and sudden orphanhood.
The film begins in 1780 and follows the footsteps of the poet Julius Schönfeld based on his fragmentary diary. The film tells the story of his life at a princely court in Germany in episodic form. One celebration follows another. But the prince's carefree everyday life takes a bitter turn: his cook dies. On her deathbed, however, she asks him to take care of her two children after her death. The prince promises to fulfill her request, probably only because she was his favorite cook. Thus, life changes abruptly for Julius and his sister.
Direction
Boder turns diary fragments into visual poetry, not plot.
Production
Exquisite 18th-century court detail that breathes and suffocates.
Director
Theodor Boder
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Theodor Boder built the court sets in a repurposed East German palace, using only natural light sources available in 1780.
The film deliberately echoes the German 'Gelegenheitsdichtung' tradition—poetry written for court occasions that outlives its occasion.
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