Humanity on the margins explored in Golden Goblet contender ‘Mr Drowak’

The Swiss-German production follows the story of Lina, an optimistic college student who has enrolled in a social work initiative designed to support people in marginalized communities. 

During her work, she encounters Hugo Drowak, a man with an unexpected talent for writing, and discovers the dark memories lurking behind his captivating words.

At the crew meeting, scriptwriter Bettina Gundermann explained her reasons for choosing to focus on a character like Drowak in the film.

"I have always been very interested in these types of socially marginalized individuals and wondered what caused their misanthropy and hostility toward others," she said. 

"Their image is by no means flat, and it is erroneous to merely categorize them as losers."

Director Nicolas Steiner said that significant thought was given to the use of color tones to train the audience's focus on the solitary, elderly Drowak (played by Karl Markovics).

"A contrast between black-and-white tones and warm tones was adopted in the film," he explained. "We used the black-and-white world to symbolize Drowak's tragic past, while employing warm tones to reflect the changes the girl brings to his life."

Photographer Markus Nestroy added they also used different lenses to shape the characters of Lina and Drowak whose inner worlds are totally different.

"When filming the scenes featuring Drowak, dull and static shots were used, whereas for Lina, more vibrant and colorful shots highlighted her vitality,” he said.

Lead actress Luna Wedler, who has had three of her earlier films screened at Shanghai International Film Festival, also shared her thoughts on playing the role.

"Lina is a talkative girl who is also very observant of things around her," she said. "In order to portray this character well, I engaged before filming in conversations with people on city streets to understand her life."

"I am also very grateful to the crew members. The costumes, props, and set designs they provided all contributed to shaping certain details of this character."