Schönheit

In cooperation with ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW

Who are these people who undergo plastic surgery. This film explores the lifestyle of several protagonists who have had some (or a lot of) nip and tuck. They come from different social groups, but the thing they have in common is an urge for perfect (self) presentation. Thus, it's not only about breasts and cheekbones, but about cars, furniture, shoes, children, pets – and anything else that allegedly defines a person. Documentary filmmaker Carolin Schmitz succeeds in her quest for complexity and ambivalence in this exploration of addiction to beauty. In the beginning, these perfectly posed, artificial people, giving their monologues of self-justification and mantras of self esteem as if memorized, evoke more ridicule or even pity than the respect they long for. But thanks to the closeness to her subjects, Schmitz manages to broaden the picture with many nuances, helping us to find similarities with our own hopes, wishes and fears – and shows us where they can lead to.