New Cinema
Lovemobil
Germany
2019
106'
About
A country road on the outskirts of Wolfsburg, Germany. Prostitutes from Eastern Europe and Africa are travelling in caravans. No amenities, no running water, their life is limited to constant waiting for their pimps. Who are they? Rita has escaped poverty in Nigeria and one day she hopes to start a family. Milena comes from Bulgaria and works to provide for her younger brother. They have had no trust for men since long ago and they come from afar in pursuit of money.
While most people drive past the women, Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss decides to stop by, get to know them, and tell their stories. Is prostitution a job? Does it strip one of freedom? The director approaches the characters with sensitivity, thus creating a shocking documentary about the danger and commodification of lonely women. In the face of their problems, murder becomes their bread and butter. The intense colours of the vibrant neon lights hung across the caravans trigger anxiety. Just like in the case of films of the cinéma-vérité movement, the camera here functions as a catalyst allowing to access the truth. Also, the truth about the world which can be found at the dead end of global capitalism.
Credits
Director: Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss
Screenwriter: Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss
Cinematographer: Christoph Rohrscheidt
Composer: Dascha Dauenhauer
Editor: Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss, Sven Kulik
Producer : Elke Margarete Lehrenkrauss
Awards
Emerging Cinematic Vision Award (Camden International Film Festival 2019) Elke Lehrenkrauss
DOC LA Award (DOC LA 2019) Best International Documentary: Elke Lehrenkrauss
Jury Prize (Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer 2020) Best Sound: Dascha Dauenhauer, Elke Lehrenkrauss
Jury Prize (Santorini Film Festival 2020) Best Documentary Feature: Elke Lehrenkrauss