Jibril

At a party, Maryam and Jibril exchange glances. Years later, Maryam happens to meet the same young man again when she is asked to deliver a parcel to someone in prison. The recipient is none other than Jibril, who is serving a sentence of several years. The attraction between this single mother-of-three and the inmate is just as strong as it was when they first met. Maryam plunges enthusiastically into an initially largely platonic romance, which on the one hand may satisfy certain longings on both sides, yet on the other also awakens desire. But having a relationship with someone who isn’t there and who doesn't participate in her life, and who she can’t even really get to know, is a challenge for Maryam. Jibril too finds his situation as a prisoner increasingly difficult to bear.

Henrika Kull stages the intimate scenes of her first dramatic feature in impressively naturalistic close-ups and, utilising the particular situation of her two protagonists, raises a big question: when exactly do you really know someone – or do you just fall in love with your dream of being in love?

Source: 68. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)