The only time Maria feels liberated is when she is playing the organ. Bach’s music is something you feel in your gut. At home she bears the brunt of responsibility – both for her rebellious sister Hannah, two years her junior, who is busy planning her escape from the village, and for her father, Johann.
Acting
Maria Dragus communicates entire novels through silence and posture.
Sound
Bach's organ works become a character—transcendent, oppressive, alive.
Cinematography
Cramped interiors vs. vast emptiness mirrors Maria's trapped freedom.
Director
Felix Hassenfratz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Maria Dragus trained on church organ for months; most playing is her actual performance.
The film captures 'Dorfgeschichte'—a specifically German literary tradition of suffocating village life that dates to the 19th century.
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