22 lanes

Feature film (Germany, 2025), directed by Mia Maariel Meyer

Tilda’s days are strictly regimented: studying, working at the supermarket till, swimming, looking after her little sister Ida – and on bad days, her mother too. The three of them live in the saddest house on Fröhlichstrasse in a small town that Tilda hates. Her friends have long since left, living in Amsterdam or Berlin; only Tilda has stayed behind. Because someone has to be there for Ida, earn money, and shoulder the responsibility. There are no fathers worth mentioning; her mother is an alcoholic. One day, however, things start to change: Tilda is offered a PhD in Berlin, and a future that promises freedom begins to glimmer on the horizon. And Viktor turns up – the older brother of Ivan, whom Tilda lost five years earlier. Viktor, who – just like her – always swims 22 lengths. But just as Tilda is beginning to believe that everything might turn out all right, the situation at home spirals completely out of control ...

Ages 12 and over, 101 minutes, original version