Subject
As the title suggests, the film deals with the topic of cultural criticism and its perception.
There are a lot of clichés about critics that are worked into the film. For example, the main character is a theatre critic. She becomes the victim of clichés and prejudice but still manages to rise professionally and takes revenge.
The film is about theatre, theatre criticism and criticism on theatre criticism and also that not all clichés are unfounded.
Origin of “Kritik- A Story of Passion and Theatre”
The short film was shot in Rheinhessen and in Rheingau, to be more specific in the small towns Ockenheim and Oestrich-Winkel and in the regional capital Mainz. We were able to shoot in an entire bar in Oestrich (cheers to the barkeeper!) and in the M8 in Mainz.
Fun Fact: The typewriter in the short film inspired the crew to imitate. After the little Olympia that had been in the author's possession for a good amount of time had been used on set, Ruth – responsible for sound and other things – purchased a typewriter as well. However, it is an electronic model. Only for writing scripts of course 😉
Quotes
Who do you think you are, judging those people? What gives you the right? Why should anyone want to print your personal opinion?
He – Scene from Kritik
Don't you realize? Retirement. Those people are old. And you are not. You are lacking almost all of the qualifications this job requires.
He – Scene from Kritik
Idea, script and directed by
Anika Schilling
Production
Anika Schilling, Andreas Schlicht
Michelle Rochon: Josephine Ludwig
Cashier: Antje Melcher
Audience member 1: Angela Römelt
Audience member 2: Christian Humberg
Audience member 3: Helena Klingler
Audience member 4: Dominik Bornmann
Audience member 5: Christina Wagner
Theatre employee: Philip Barth
Other theatre guests I: Philipp Neuweiler, Magnus Neuwirth, Ruth Hainson, Leonie Schneiderhöhn, Petra Barth, Florian Hofferer, Claudia Preißer, Gabriel Sinke
He: Andreas Schlicht
Theatre regular: Ingrid Petri
Theatre irregular: Vera Schilling
Other theatre guests II: Anna Charlotte Che, Michael Hedderich, Ursula Hedderich, Olga Morskov, Natalie Morskov, Andreas Jäkel, Nazifeh Ilhan
Actors: Anna Felka, Eva Felka, Anton Wolf, Thorsten Schlicht
Theatre director: Leon Pietsch
Barkeeper: Oliver Schilling
Bar visitors: Wolfram Müller-Petri, Ingrid Petri, Peter Paul Petri, Barbara Petri, Matthias Schleuder, Carola Schleuder, Thorsten Schlicht, Olga Morskov, Michael Hedderich
Crew
Camera: Laurenz Lin Sill
Camera assistant: Jacob Gauck
Sound: Ruth Hainson, Christian Kuhn
Animation: Laurenz Lin Sill
Editing: Laurenz Lin Sill, Anika Schilling
Music – Sounddesign – Soundmixing: Dennis Van Gasch
Costume: Anika Schilling, Josephine Ludwig, Andreas Schlicht
Make-Up: Josephine Ludwig
Set: Anika Schilling, Jacob Gauck, Josephine Ludwig, Andreas Schlicht
Casting: Anika Schilling, Andreas Schlicht
All songs written, recorded, produced, mixed & mastered
by Dennis van Gasch @ Van Gasch Lo-Fi Club
Wenn Du mich kritisierst (Prelude)
Schleife in Cis
Tränen auf dem Parkett
11 Freunde sollt ihr sein
Wenn Du mich kritisierst
Special Thanks
Künstlervereinigung Leviathan
Haus der Jugend Mainz
Kulturzentrum M8-Bühne Mainz
Junge Bühne Mainz
Philip Barth
Eugenia und Konstantin Hainson
ZDF
Offener Kanal Mainz
Uvm.
The Idea for the film
I had the idea for the script in Cannes. At this point when I was there with the Leviathan-group I believed that I had a job as a cultural critic for a paper and I was imagining myself as a critic at the festival. Most of the time my conversational partners reacted with a rude lack of interest. Because I want to work as a critic after my degree, these reactions bothered and I came up with the idea for the script.
Anika Schilling