Adele Neuhauser will appear in an ORF 2 premiere on Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 at 8:15 p.m. and on ORF ON “Unmakeup” on Tuesday, November 12th at 8:15 p.m. In the ORF/BR feature film, which was awarded the “Audience Biber” at the Biberach Film Festival at the beginning of November – after “Faltenfrei” (available on ORF ON), another joint project by Neuhauser with screenwriter Uli Brée and director Dirk Kummer – the story becomes about Josefa, who was once called Josef, and the people who love her. A “story of hurt and forgiveness,” as the leading actress herself describes her new film. Other roles include Eva Mattes, Ulrich Noethen, Riccardo Campione, Hayal Kaya, Matthias Matschke, Florian Jahr, Luise Kinseher, Stefan Merki, Felix Everding, Michael Lerchenberg and Michael A. Grimm. Filming in Munich and the surrounding area took place from May to June 2023. Further information about the film is available at presse.ORF.at.
Screenwriter Uli Brée: “Love, friendship, prejudices, misunderstandings and reconciliation”
When asked why the film is titled “Unvarnished,” screenwriter Uli Brée says: “Perhaps because in the course of this story you have to remove all of your sensitivities. Because we meet each other without makeup. Unvarnished, maybe just another word for truthful.” On the process of making the film: “I have written a lot of films for Adele Neuhauser. We now form a wonderfully creative symbiosis of actress and author. When we send each other messages, I sign “Your Author” and she signs “Your Actress.” So after I had already thought up a lot of characters for ‘my actress’, at some point the tempting thought came that Adele could play a woman who used to live as a man. An acting challenge. After Adele had to sleep on it for a night at my suggestion, I got to work. The result is a story about love, friendship, prejudices, misunderstandings and reconciliation. This film not only tells the story of a woman who grew up in the wrong body and the wrong life, but also the story of the people who stood in the shadow of this fate. Only after Josefa digs up her buried past does she realize that love and friendship have nothing to do with whether you live your life as a woman or as a man.
More about the content
More than 40 years ago, Josefa (Adele Neuhauser), when she was still called Josef (Riccardo Campione), left her home village in a dispute. Today she returns there. A lot has happened during this time. A lot has changed. Josefa lives her life. As a woman. On her deceased parents’ farm, she is not only confronted with her repressed memories in full force, no, there is also Petra (Eva Mattes), who was once her wife. Many things that were not said then now demand to be heard. Insults and misunderstandings emerge, as do scars that never healed. There is Blume (Ulrich Noethen), Josefa’s best friend from back then. A gentle companion who now hopes she will provide answers to questions he didn’t dare ask back then. But it’s not just Josefa who comes to terms with her past, Petra also carries secrets with her. Josefa finds support in her good friend Antonia (Hayal Kaya).
“Unschminkt” is a production by Bavaria Fiction on behalf of BR and ORF.
Stream “Unvarnished” on ORF ON
“Unvarnished” is available 24 hours before the ORF 2 premiere and therefore on Tuesday, November 12th, at 8:15 p.m. on ORF ON, where, also from November 12th, the video collection “Best of Adele Neuhauser” will also be available. will be available.