The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin)

To celebrate a birthday, the families of sisters Karen and Jule come together in their childhood home, somewhere nestled in the countryside. But in The Sparrow in the Chimney, the little bird from the title that's caught, is an early sign that the festivities will make room for a clash between personalities. Secrets, mutual tensions, and personal struggles transform domestic summer scenes into a dark fairy tale. Is escape possible or is everyone trapped in power relations and contradictions? Together with twin brother Silvan (now serving as a producer), Swiss filmmaker Ramon Zürcher wrote and directed this final part of a triptych about family life of which the first two parts - Das merkwürdige Kätzchen (2013) and Das Mädchen und die Spinne (FFG2021) - garnered acclaim across international festivals. The green-red colour palette of their poetic cacophony looks insidiously complementary and soft. Maren Eggert (Ich bin dein Mensch) shows why she is among the best actors of her generation.