Punching the world with your fist – cinema release on April 03, 2025

A film about origins, anger and the search for stability – told from the perspective of two brothers in the East German provinces.

Content

The feature film Punching the world with your fist is based on the novel of the same name by Lukas Rietzschel and tells the story of two brothers growing up in a region that oscillates between disintegration and new beginnings after reunification. Between family retreat and social radicalization, an impressive drama unfolds about a lack of prospects, belonging and the creeping normalization of right-wing ideologies.

Director Constanze Klaue succeeds in taking a sensitive and unsparing look at a generation whose childhood is characterized by uncertainty and disorientation. The film’s visual language not only shows the desolation of the surroundings, but also their beauty and significance as a place of longing and retreat.

A movie with attitude

Instead of pointing a pedagogical finger, the film chooses an observational, compassionate narrative style. It tells from the inside – from those who are barely heard. Klaue herself grew up in East Germany and brings personal experience and great authenticity to the cinematic realization of her directorial debut. With an ensemble of up-and-coming talent, amateur actressesand experienced actresses, an impressive generational portrait is drawn.

Distinction and relevance

The film celebrates its world premiere in 2025 in the Perspectives section of the Berlinale. The novel was already celebrated as the “book of the hour” on the so-called refugee crisis – the cinematic realization now brings the topic to the big screen in a visually and emotionally impressive way.