

Jonas is 18-years-old and has had to repeat several years of his education. His acceptance into Brandenburg's Paul Dessau Comprehensive School is his last chance at getting any qualifications. The experimental film project 'Jonas' is mix of fiction and documentary. It was shot during actual lessons at a comprehensive school in Brandenburg. It uses the teachers and pupils of the school, and stars Christian Ulmen as Jonas. The aim of the project was to capture the influence of an artificial figure in a real space. Made with a subtly wry smile, this is a fascinating study of the school system, puberty, love and music.
Direction
Real lessons, real teens, one fake student — tightrope walk of control.
Acting
Ulmen's deadpan infiltration of actual adolescent chaos is quietly masterful.
Director
Robert Wilde
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Robert Wilde spent months integrating Ulmen before cameras rolled; most students never knew he wasn't real.
The 'Hauptschule' system depicted was being phased out during filming, making the movie accidentally archival.
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