18/06/2025 - Children’s filmmaker Bernd Sahling depicts the teenage angst of falling in love with a touch of humour, great tenderness, plenty of respect and some cinephile overtones

The 17th edition of the German Film Fest Madrid (11-15 June) included a delightful morning screening, mainly for younger audiences, of the film Tomorrow I'll Be Brave, directed by Bernd Sahling, a specialist in family films such as UPSIDEdown [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and The Blind Flyers.

In his new feature, which is lively and accessible for adult audiences, he tells - using his own screenplay - of a 12-year-old boy named Karl, played by a shy and charming Jonathan Köhn, something of a blond, German child version of Dustin Hoffman. Karl is the son of an actress and younger brother of an amateur musician who starts feeling drawn to Lea (Cheyenne Aaliyah Roth), who is not only unquestionably beautiful, but is also much taller than him. First love is often like that: unattainable, in this case literally.

Little Karl not only gets hold of a pair of shoes to add several centimetres to his - short - stature, but also - encouraged by his brother - he plucks up the courage to invite the object of his desire to see the makeshift photography darkroom he has set up in the bathroom at home. The school year is coming to a close and next year many of his classmates will be going their separate ways... including Lea. He needs to make the most of summer camp - his last chance! In pursuit of his romantic goals, Karl needs to either write her a poem - which will later turn into a song - or make a short amateur documentary on a topic close to the heart of our anti-hero: falling in love.

With these ingredients, seasoned with a touch of humour (and where pizzas take on particular relevance), Sahling has constructed a summer story on the anguish of first love for those who are no longer children but are not yet adults. It leads them to peer over into the completely mysterious and unexplored abyss of emotions, a place where they feel completely lost. A theme already addressed on numerous occasions, but which here is presented with enough freshness - and tenderness - to be entertaining, appealing and empathetic.

In addition, emulating Pier Paolo Pasolini as he went around Italy, camera in hand, asking questions for his documentary Love Meetings (1964), our protagonist and his friends - encouraged by a teacher passionate about artistic expression - also make a non-fiction film starring themselves and a few special guests. Sahling narrates this story with respect and intelligence, treating his young audience in the same way as he treats the characters themselves: speaking to them on their level, with the camera positioned not only at their physical height, but also on a level with their concerns, longings and (romantic) dreams.

Tomorrow I'll Be Brave was produced by Zeitgeist Filmproduktion in co-production with Field Recordings Filmproduktion.

(Translated from Spanish)