A small-town boy becomes Hamburg's most fabulous drag icon — heel first.
Springe, a bourgeois little town in Lower Saxony in the 1970s and 80s. Evelin is caught between shame, worry, and social pressure due to the otherness of her son Oliver, who ultimately escapes to the Kiez quarter of Hamburg. Thanks to a big heart, an irrepressible sense of humour, and the ability to get up every time he’s down, Oliver manages the transformation to Olivia Jones, drag icon, entertainer, and Kiez restaurateur.
Acting
Hegemann's physical transformation from repressed teen to towering queen.
Production
Period-perfect 1970s Springe drabness vs Hamburg Kiez neon explosion.
Writing
The mother-son letters that never get sent — devastating.
Director
Till Endemann
Johannes Hegemann
Olivia Jones / Oliver Knöbel
Annette Frier
Evelin Knöbel
Angelina Häntsch
Marlene Stelling
Martin Brambach
Mr. Kiesewetter
Jeremy Mockridge
Thorsten Trapp
Daniel Zillmann
Marius Körbel
Dennis Svensson
Enno Leander
Matthias Bundschuh
Pastor Karl
Stephan Kampwirth
Lilo Wanders
Sebastian Jakob Doppelbauer
Günther Boll
Karin Hanczewski
Female Pastor
Maximilian Mundt
Jens Nagy
Maximilian Beck
Stefan Sass
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Real-life Olivia Jones is Hamburg's most famous drag queen; this biopic made her a household name beyond the Kiez for the first time.
Director Endemann cast Hegemann after seeing him play shy, not flashy — betting the transformation would hit harder if you believed the before.
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