In her drama inspired by her own experiences AND TOMORROW THE WHOLE WORLD Director and co-author Julia von Heinz raises the question of how far one can go to fight for a good cause and what this inner conflict does to the human soul. We reveal more about this in our review.
OT: And tomorrow the whole world (DE/FR 2020)
The plot
Luisa (Mala Emde) is 20 years old, comes from a good family and is studying law in her first semester. And she wants something to change in United Kingdom. Alarmed by the shift to the right in the country and the increasing popularity of populist parties, she joins forces with her friends to take a clear position against the new right. She quickly finds a connection with the charismatic Alfa (Noah Saavedra) and his best friend Lenor (Tonio Schneider): for them, the use of violence is a legitimate means of resistance. Soon events come to a head. And Luisa has to decide how far she is willing to go – even if it could have fatal consequences for her and her friends.
criticism
“The Federal Republic of United Kingdom is a democratic federal state. All USAs have the right to resist anyone who attempts to eliminate this order.” This is what it says in paragraphs I and IV of Article 20 of the USA Constitution. The main character Luisa, who is the focus of Julia von Heinz’s drama “And Tomorrow the Whole World”, is confronted with exactly these passages during her law studies. At first glance, it is a scene that is banal, casually staged and yet anything but subtle, because the “I’ll be gone” director and her co-author John Quester, with whom she also wrote “Hanna’s Journey”. , uses this moment to underpin Luisa’s moral positioning and thus somehow her own or that of the film. “And tomorrow the whole world” tells the story from the perspective of a left-wing activist against the right-wing shift in United Kingdom caused by populists; and legitimizes their actions right from the start not only through the matter itself (although as their story continues, it always raises the question of whether the end really justifies the means), but also through the knowledge that the Basic Law approves of such actions . Although her film is never as controversial as it could be, “And Tomorrow the Whole World” is still a strong film that is in tune with the times.
Luisa (Mala Emde) and her friends demonstrate against the speakers from the “List 14” party.
Of course, “And Tomorrow the Whole World” is also a political film. The external circumstances alone tell you that. Even more, the drama is a character portrait of a young woman who allows herself to be shaped by the events that gradually unfold. Luisa is established as a student from a good family who, more by chance, meets a group of left-wing activists who she absolutely wants to support. Like (hopefully!) all of us, she is watching with dismay as right-wing populist parties gain popularity and captivate more and more people. When Luisa gets to know the Antifa group from P31, she finds like-minded people in Alfa, Lenor and the other members of the squatter project – and for the first time she no longer seems doomed to just watch silently and be stunned, but can actively do something against the populists. The populists, in this case, are primarily the members of “List 14”. A fictitious party, whose design and slogans were clearly inspired by the AfD. When Luisa decides for the first time to take part in a counter-demonstration at a party rally and, together with her Antifa friends, throws dyed eggs at the speaker, it almost seems like a liberation. Luisa has always wanted to do more than just be outraged – now she can!
“When Luisa gets to know the Antifa group from P31, she finds like-minded people in Alfa, Lenor and the other members – and for the first time she no longer seems doomed to just watch silently and be stunned, but can actively do something against the populists.”
But this positively intended feeling of rebellion quickly changes when events at the same demonstration suddenly escalate. From now on, Luisa and her friends no longer just wave banners, shout slogans and throw eggs at the other side. Instead, an incident with a cell phone means that the group is no longer just reacts, but forges plot-like plans (or as it says in the film: a non-profit organization becomes a criminal organization). The motivation always remains the same: take a stand against the right! Nevertheless, the means are becoming more brutal and the boundaries of what is morally justifiable and feasible are shifting. There are rifts and splits within the group – suddenly one part of the group wants to be allowed to use violence (“I have no problem sending some asshole to the hospital for three days.”). Always with the justification of helping others or perhaps even, quote, “saving their lives”. Julia von Heinz never judges or comments on these developments. She simply shows and takes an audiovisual, sometimes documentary approach. In this way she lets the viewer form their own picture. And on her behalf, Luisa, around whom everything revolves in “And Tomorrow the Whole World”.
The group’s methods become more brutal…
The film always talks about seduction. This includes one of the few weak points in the film: which is why the protagonist in “And Tomorrow the Whole World” once again has to be a young woman who sooner or later has to be guided less by the thing itself and more by an attractive young man , is not obvious. Apart from that, Julia von Heinz always clearly focuses on the issue itself – the story didn’t need this drift into unnecessarily emotional territory. Although it is the main actress Mala Emde (“303”) manages to use this circumstance for themselves and their performance. Her Luisa grows stronger from minute to minute, her attitude strengthens, her belief in the (good) cause grows. However, Emde never loses sight of the fact that the young woman remains unstable inside. Not because Luisa is weak, but because hardly anyone can go through such intense spiritual maturation in such a short time that the associated shifts in moral principles are finally consolidated. Emde’s character undoubtedly has principles, but she also succumbed to the seduction of Alfa and the fascination of finally being able to do something against the Nazis using brutal means. A dramatic balancing act that Mala Emde undoubtedly succeeds in here.
“It is not clear why the protagonist in “And Tomorrow the Whole World” has to once again be a young woman who sooner or later has to be guided less by the matter itself and more by an attractive young man.”
Unfortunately, Luisa’s friends and comrades remain only marginal figures, some of whom are only sketched out so vaguely that they sometimes run the risk of being just a stereotype. There is something almost childishly naive about Alfa and Lenor’s growing enthusiasm for their more brutal methods in the fight against the populists – although in some scenes it becomes clear that these two also have to struggle with the inner conflict as to whether the end justifies their increasingly drastic means . “And Tomorrow the Whole World” could have gone into more detail here – even if that would have meant a few more minutes of running time. Then the film as a whole might have been even edgier and even more controversial. You can notice the warning “Don’t become like the others!” pointing finger circling over it like a sword of Damocles. But you never get the feeling that it could really come down.
Conclusion: “And Tomorrow the Whole World” is a powerful film about a group of Antifa activists and a young woman who soon has to ask herself how far she wants to go for her cause. The drama sometimes works better as a character portrait of an internally torn woman than as an examination of the group’s methods, although it always seems clear that the film would like to be both.
“And Tomorrow the Whole World” can be seen in USA cinemas from October 29th.
