SMELL OF BURNT MILK

THOSE WHO SHAKE UP TRADITIONS OPEN UP NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE

Justine Bauer’s see­mingly docu­men­ta­ry-like debut film crea­tes an authen­tic pic­tu­re of rural life in the field of ten­si­on bet­ween idyll and iso­la­ti­on — thanks to the fre­quent use of ama­teur actres­ses who speak in Hohenlohe dialect. The 4:3 for­mat avo­ids the kitsch of broad land­scape shots and focu­ses on the actres­ses. But what lega­cy does rural life hold for young peo­p­le? 17-year-old Katinka wants to beco­me a far­mer. However, as we know, the farm is inhe­ri­ted by men and the dairy busi­ness has not been pro­fi­ta­ble for some time. Katinka does­n’t want to go any­whe­re else, becau­se here she has natu­re, ani­mals and her fri­ends. Where others see no future, Katinka tri­es to build one for hers­elf, in defi­ance of tradition