Against All Odds
Film poster
GermanMit dem Bauch durch die Wand
Directed byAnka Schmid
Written byAnka Schmid
Produced byFranziska Reck, Reck Filmproduktion
CinematographyPatrick Lindenmaier, Anka Schmid
Edited byMarina Wernli, Matthias Bürcher
Release date
  • January 23, 2011 (2011-01-23) (Solothurn)[1]
Running time
93 minutes
CountrySwitzerland
LanguageSwiss German

Against All Odds (German: Mit dem Bauch durch die Wand, lit. 'With the belly through the wall') is a 2011 Swiss documentary film directed by Anka Schmid. The long term documentary accompanies three teenage mothers, their kids and the fathers during the course of four years. One can follow how the girls grow up to be young women. The documentary had its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2011 in the section Generations.[2] The world premiere was in January 2011 at the Solothurn Film Festival.[3]

Summary

The long term documentary stretching over four years puts three Swiss teenage mothers, their characters and their ups and downs into the spotlight and lets them voice their emotions, wishes and dreams.

Sandra is able to successfully finish her apprenticeship thanks to the help of her in-laws. After the birth of her first child she moves in with her beloved boyfriend and father of the child - they become a family. Jasmine's situation on the other hand forces her to give up her child to the children's home during the week in order to be able to complete her education. Her friends help her out as best they can and she goes to court in her fight for alimony for her little boy. Jennifer and her friend Mwathi used to be the perfect couple but as soon as their daughter is born their love falls apart and there is no relying on the young father. But Jennifer gets help from her mother and manages to find a balance between motherhood and education. Later on would-be rapper Mwathi processes his behavior as an absent father in his lyrics and tries to rekindle contact with his little daughter.[4]

Reception

In 2011 the documentary won the so-called Zürcher Filmpreis, a prize awarded by the canton of Zurich. The jury particularly liked the closeness and intimacy with the protagonists, this was mainly achieved due to the fact that Schmid shot most of the film herself. The immediacy is further enhanced by the formal humbleness, relying fully on the characters.[5]

The documentary was widely discussed in public and Swiss media. The journalist Bettina Spoerri from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung for example said that the protagonists were "tough but also very vulnerable young people who are looking for their path." She proceeded to point out that the "chances that are being given or refused to them" were "an unerring mirror of our society."[6] Irene Genhart from the Zürcher Landzeitung wrote that the "loose juxtaposition" of the three stories was the strength of the film because it enables the viewer "to prescind and to draw parallels." According to her the film is "a heart warming, silently mischievous and thought provoking study of adolescence with a child in Switzerland."[7]

Festivals

References

  1. ↑ "Anka Schmid : Mit dem Bauch durch die Wand : Synopsis of the film". ankaschmid.ch. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Against All Odds Berlinale Generations
  3. ↑ Against All Odds festival listing on Swissfilms
  4. ↑ Summaries on Reckfilm; official website; Swissfilms; Berlinale Generations
  5. ↑ "Zürcher Filmpreise 2011" (PDF; 131 KB) (in German). Stadt Zürich. 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  6. ↑ Bettina Spoerri (2011-01-24). "Mit dem Blick in die Zukunft" (in German). Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  7. ↑ Irene Genhart, Zürcher Landzeitung, 2011-01-26
  8. ↑ Festival listings on Swissfilms
  9. ↑ Berlinale Generations
  10. ↑ Showroom Workstation
  11. ↑ Festival listings on Swissfilms
  12. ↑ Kaunas Intl. Film Festival
  13. ↑ Photogallery on Frauenwelten Tübingen
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