Janik and Samuel are best friends and enjoy the end of high school. Their worlds are different: Janik has parents who always do everything right, while Samuel comes from a broken home. Samuel wants order, Janik wants chaos. A thoughtless moment puts the close bond between the two friends in jeopardy. As they set off on their long-planned trip to Istanbul, the boys are looking to save their friendship, enjoy their freedom and try out a new life.
Acting
Von Schönfels and Mulugeta's chemistry feels dangerously real.
Direction
Çatak directs silence like a weapon—devastating pauses.
Cinematography
Istanbul glows with promise that'll break your heart.
Director
İlker Çatak
Emil von Schönfels
Janik
Mekyas Mulugeta
Samuel
Katharina Behrens
Irene / Samuel's mother
Nicole Marischka
Ella / Janik's mother
Godehard Giese
Jona / Janik's father
Luissa Cara Hansen
Lina / Janik's girlfriend
Oğulcan Arman Uslu
Osman
Adnan Devran
Fiko / Gypsy boy
Özer Arslan
Polizist
Salih Usta
Verkäufer Minibus
Robert Besta
Burak Can Aras
Ali Seçkiner Alıcı
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Çatak specifically cast von Schönfels and Mulugeta without chemistry reads, wanting their awkwardness to feel discovered rather than performed.
The film's German-Turkish production mirrors its characters' liminal identities—Istanbul isn't just backdrop but a third character representing impossible reconciliation.
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