2025, Austria – Switzerland – Germany, 108 min., Feature, Drama, Thriller
Johanna Moder
Johanna Moder, Arne Kohlweyer
Robert Oberrainer
Marie Leuenberger, Hans Löw, Claes Bang, Julia Franz Richter
Sabine Moser, Oliver Neumann (FreibeuterFilm), tellfilm, The Match Factory Productions
Forty-year-old Julia, a successful conductor, and her partner Georg are longing for a child when they turn to a specialized clinic for an experimental procedure. Julia becomes pregnant, but the birth is complicated, and the newborn is immediately taken away. When finally reunited with the child, Julia feels a haunting sense of detachment and begins to doubt whether it is really her own. The story masterfully shifts from intimate drama to psychological thriller, addressing the taboo of postpartum depression and the ethics of artificial insemination.
Johanna Moder
Johanna Moder was born in 1979 in Graz, Austria. She studied directing at the Film Academy Vienna. She is a prominent voice in contemporary Austrian cinema, known for weaving personal stories with social commentary. Her debut “High Performance” (2014) won the Audience Award at the Max Ophüls Prize, while her second feature “Once Were Rebels” (2019) earned her the Best Director award at the same festival.
FILMOGRAPHY
2025 – Mother’s Baby / Mutterglück
2019 – Once Were Rebels / Waren einmal Revoluzzer
2014 – High Performance
2008 – With a View of Vienna (Mit Blick auf Wien)
FESTIVALS, AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
2025 – Golden Beaver (Best Film) – Biberach Film Festival
2025 – Young Audience Award – Augenblick Festival, Strasbourg
2025 – Golden Bear Nomination – Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)