polski

Dysfunctional Cat

Susan Gordanshekan
Die defekte Katze
Germany 2018 / 93’
Dressage Invasion

Kian, an Iranian man living in Germany, is disappointed by dates that continue to go nowhere, so he decides to listen to the advice of his impatient mother and use the services of a matchmaker. When he's introduced to Mina, he decides right away to get married. It quickly turns out, however, that sharing his everyday life with a complete stranger is a real challenge. Do you snore? Do you smoke? In Susan Gordanshekan's drama, which was presented at this year's Berlinale, the young couple start their life together without knowing anything about one another. Clearly uncomfortable in each other's presence, they try to learn intimacy at an accelerated pace. Still, they make mistakes at every step, and even the cat they take in doesn't behave-or even look-as it should. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" Kian is asked by one of the women he goes out with on an unsuccessful blind date. "No," she hears in response, and the first-time director seems to agree with him. In her film, true affection comes with hard work.

Marta Bałaga

Susan Gordanshekan

Susan Gordanshekan is a director of Iranian descent who was born in Germany in 1978. She took part in the prestigious Berlinale Talents training program, and she studied at the University of Television and Film in Munich. Her short films Tom Boys and Ice Flowers were shown at festivals in London, Łódź and Barcelona, among other places. A Dysfunctional Cat, whose world premiere took place in Berlin in 2018, is her first full-length feature and was developed through the prestigious Cannes Cinéfondation.

Filmography

2005 Tarof (short)

2008 Tom Boys (short)

2011 Ice Flowers (short)

2016In Limbo (short)

2018 Dysfunkcyjny kot / Die defekte Katze / Dysfunctional Cat

Credits

director Susan Gordanshekan
screenplay Susan Gordanshekan
cinematography Julian Krubasik
editing Frank Müller
music Sebastian Fillenberg
cast Pegah Ferydoni, Hadi Khanjanpour, Henrike von Kuick, Constantin von Jascheroff
producer Ralf Zimmermann
production Glory Film
language German, Persian