Center of My World
2016 · Directed by Jakob M. Erwa
Original language: German
- drama
- romance
The story
A strange family: 17-year-old Phil lives with his mother and twin sister in an old mansion on the outskirts of town. When he returns from summer camp, the mood in the mansion has soured somehow. Phil doesn’t worry about it, hanging out with his best friend Kat instead. When he starts to feel attracted to a mysterious new student at school, Phil is plunged into emotional turmoil only exacerbated by the trouble at home.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-faded summer light and the cluttered, slightly decaying rooms of an old house give this German coming-of-age drama a soft, tactile look, with handheld closeness during the awkward, charged scenes and wider, quieter frames in the family's uneasy kitchen and garden. Its vibe is tender and restless, a bittersweet ache with dry humour underneath, best suited to a slow weekend afternoon or a late evening alone. The pacing is unhurried, with long pauses between emotional beats and a score used sparingly, so the silences do much of the work. The story follows a teenager discovering his attraction to another boy while his home life quietly fractures, and the emotional register stays intimate and melancholic rather than melodramatic. Intensity is low on violence and gore; sexual content is present, including teen romance and kissing, but not graphic, and the family strain can feel heavy at points. It suits viewers who want an honest, understated queer coming-of-age story with atmosphere over spectacle.
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