Ms Stern (Ahuva Sommerfeld) doesn‘t want to keep going anymore. Everything is arduous for the 90 year old, even though she‘s quite fit for her age. Too fit, according to her. The doctor advises her to stop smoking. But it‘s too late for that. She survived the concentration camp, cigarettes won‘t kill her either. So she has to find another way. A gun would be good, but where will she get one? Maybe her granddaughter Elli (Kara Schröder) can help. Or the friendly Turkish man (Murat Seven) from the neighborhood, who always cuts her hair and gives her weed.

Anatol Schuster uses a lot of black humor in his tragicomic Berlin ballad. But it‘s also subtle and not vulgar. The shots are long, the burden of living is noticeable on Ms Stern‘s shoulders. 80 year old Ahuva Sommerfeld plays her with a Berlin dialect and a good dose of grim humor, but also a lot of warmth. It‘s her first and also last great performance. She is the soul of the small no budget film, which Schuster and his team shot in just a few days. Just in time: Avuha Sommerfeld died shortly after filming. She was still alive at the premiere at the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival, but she couldn‘t take the best actress award at the “ achtung berlin – new berlin film award,“ where MS STERN also won the award for best film. Anatol Schuster created a homage, a tribute, that was tailored to his heroine – and a pleasant exception among German film productions.

Lars Tunçay (INDIEKINO MAGAZIN)

Translation: Elinor Lewy