Like many modern-day farm hands in the US, Kurt is out of work, unable to provide for his family. Smothered by a sense of void and hopelessness, he takes to the road, in a quest for his lost self-esteem. An existential journey of disenchantment that cuts through the American inland, juxtaposing the shiny promises of the past with the harsh reality of a bleached-out dream.

Death on the Streets

As the highly pregnant Susanne crashes through the doors of the hospital emergency entrance, thoroughly unprepared for the birth ahead, she begins to panic. In a fit of hysteria – the contractions are just setting in – she has an vision: she need not worry, this child is predestined. Twelve years later, Susanne is looking forward to a fresh start. After years of abstention, she is hoping for a steady relationship. But her son, whom she since the vision believes to be a genius, is writing unreadable essays in school and his teacher wants to put him in special ed. Susanne and Jonathan wrestle for their life.The film is a collaboration between the director Johan Carlsen and Cornelia and Christopher Kwanka, a mother and son living in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Conny and Christopher act out scenes from Johanʼs childhood and their own experience. They play Johnny and Susanne, a mother and son fighting for recognition and balance. (Johan Carlsen)