Now in theaters: Karla

The drama "Karla" is based on a real story from the 1960s, and from today's perspective, the film's starting point is almost unimaginable: a 12-year-old girl who runs away from home, because she has been abused by her own father for years, fears that no one will listen to her or believe her, because sexual abuse is a taboo subject and society would rather deny it than bring the perpetrator to justice – what cannot be, cannot be. But Karla is lucky: in an experienced judge, she finds someone who believes her and wants to help her achieve justice – even if it means risking his own career. Filmmaker Christina Tournatzés, making her feature film debut with "Karla," stages this story not as a smashing legal drama, but as a quiet, sensitively observed mixture of character and social study, and this is precisely what makes her film so haunting. The drama is, of course, carried by the outstanding cast, especially Rainer Bock as the judge and even more so Elise Krieps (Vicky Krieps' daughter) in the title role. They give the story a power that transcends the historical setting—because one thing is clear: the topic of child abuse is, unfortunately, still of sad relevance.