School friends Nore and Jonna meet again by chance in their early-twenties and move in together. Jonna is dazzled by Nore’s beauty and equally captivated by her wild lifestyle, which leaves its mark on life in their shared flat in the form of alcohol, cigarettes and lots of male visitors, who are shared in sisterly fashion and repeatedly shown the door before breakfast. Over the course of their conversations, it becomes clear that Nore was never the precocious “femme fatale” who admired as well as bullied Jonna, but that she had experienced sexual assault as a young girl. As Nore struggles to reclaim the narrative for herself, a genuine friendship develops. Hand in hand, the two women undertake a journey back into Nore’s past. A painful process!

With this surprisingly unconventional drama, director Hille Norden establishes herself as a new star in the firmament of young German cinema.

Hille Norden, born in Kiel/Germany, attended a humanities-focused secondary school and, after spending time abroad in Turkey, went on to study economics at the Regional Vocational Training Centre (RBZ). It was there that a project with documentary filmmaker Fredo Wulf sparked her enthusiasm for film. In 2016, she produced her first feature film, JOLA, in which she also played the lead role. This was followed by feature-length documentaries, which she directed. Her latest feature film, SMALLTOWN GIRL, celebrated its highly acclaimed world premiere at Filmfest Hamburg.

Filmography (selection): 2016 JOLA, 2018 KHELLO BRÜDER (documentary), 2020 MIEN LEEVSTEN WULF (short film), 2021 HEIMAT SUCHT SEELE (documentary), 2024 MANDAT FÜR MAI (TV series), 2025 SMALLTOWN GIRL