25/02/2025 - BERLINALE 2025: The writer-director of the Netflix pic discussed the idea for her feature debut, the social background to it and its ultimate goals

(© J Gern)

After its premiere in the Panorama section of the 75th Berlinale, the German film Delicious [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nele Mueller-Stöfen
film profile] will land on Netflix on 7 March. We spoke to director Nele Mueller-Stöfen, who, after a lengthy acting career, including a turn in The Sex Thief by Christian Petzold, followed by a dozen years spent as a screenwriter, has now penned and helmed her first film.

Cineuropa: You mentioned Theorem by Pier Paolo Pasolini as an inspiration. Could you talk about the influences that led you to write your script?
Nele Mueller-Stöfen: I have to tell you a little story. A friend of mine was on holiday in Italy, and he said he loved it. He was with a group of people – they were having a lot of fun, and everything was going smoothly. Then another person joined them, and he manipulated the group so much that after 24 hours, they all agreed that they wanted to leave. They packed their bags and went home, or they went to another place in Italy, I’m not sure. That was the starting point for me, and it was so interesting. What happens if only one person manipulates an entire group of people and completely changes its dynamics?

Then I read an article by young women authors who wrote really razor-sharp short stories, and which also shed light on the social inequality of their country's society, and I loved that idea. We see [these themes] in a lot of films that provided inspiration for me: The Housemaid by Kim Ki-young, which I love, as well as Let the Right One In [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: John Nordling
interview: Tomas Alfredson
film profile] by Tomas Alfredson. And then, of course, there's one movie that really inspired me, and that was Theorem because there is this story where a person enters a family and changes their whole future. Pasolini’s work inspired me and pushed me to move forward in writing my story.

Some detective-story writers, like Agatha Christie, sometimes go back into the story, adding some hints after having written the ending. Did you work on Delicious in a linear way? What was your writing process like?
You are absolutely right. I knew how it was going to end, but the question was: “How do I get there, and how do I want to tell it? Do I want the audience to know it immediately?” I like to drop little hints, like when a person is hungry, and you just give them a cookie, and then another cookie and so on. The process wasn't easy, because you always have to think about whether what you are giving the audience is too much or not enough.

Teodora is a young woman, and her gang is also very young. Was this a choice made on purpose? Are young people the ones supposed to bring change in society?
It's good that you say that because it's surely not by coincidence. It's not only about inequalities in our society; it also involves different generations. As Antonio Gramsci said: “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of the monsters.” The old generation has to trust the youth. Maybe it's a little idealistic, but they really should start giving youngsters space, allowing them to make the world a better place.

What things were you trying to avoid while you were making this film? What did you fear, and what were you trying to achieve?
For me, it was really important not to condemn the rich and the poor. I didn't want to point the finger at my characters, because I think social inequality is a global problem and can't be solved on an individual level. That was key. I didn't want to say the rich ones are the baddies and the poor ones are the goodies. I didn't want to be preaching or to tell people how they should behave. Finally, I tried to create a special atmosphere, where the audience would be sitting there, and they would have a little taste in their mouth. It had to be tasty, not just visually beautiful. I wanted them to taste the figs, to taste the flesh.

You had to manage quite a diverse cast, with a few leading characters. How did the actors contribute to the creative process and the story-building?
Yes, there’s something magical that happens on set when you sit and watch them; there's always something new happening, some surprise or other. Carla Díaz as Theodora is wild, and when she looks at us, it feels like the world is standing still. I knew that already during the casting, but when you see it on the big screen, it's really special. It was the same with Valerie Pachner, who plays Esther. She got red cheeks when she had her liberating kiss. That was a magical moment for me because up to that point, she had been so controlled, holding everything inside, and then suddenly, she broke out and was so sensual.