If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart Into Your Mouth and Smile (Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst) 💖, dir. Marie Luise Lehner, 2025, Austria, 87 min., in German, German Sign Language, and English, with full open captions in English
Friday, June 27, 2025, 3:30 pm, Roxie Theater
🌎 North American premiere
🏆 Winner: 2025 Berlinale, Teddy Award (jury) and CICAE Art Cinema Award (Forum section) — among other honors
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| If You Are Afraid… Wenn du Angst hast… |
Anna (Siena Popović, pictured) is a 12-year-old girl in Vienna, only child of Isolde (Mariya Menner), a deaf single mother. She is starting at a new school, but most of her classmates come from families with far more disposable income, making Anna self-conscious, but she makes some friends, including the cute boy in her class, but her bestie is the daughter of a FLINTA* couple.
FLINTA* is an acronym for “Frauen, Lesben, Intergeschlechtliche, nichtbinäre, trans und agender Personen,” with the asterisk representing all non-binary gender identities. The acronym is sometimes expanded to FLINTAQ to explicitly include Queer, and the intention is to buck the patriarchy. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)
Anna goes through all the usual ups and downs of middle school, hating homework, being embarrassed by your parent, wondering whether someone likes you and trying to figure out how you feel about them, but with a few twists on the typical formula, including the matter-of-fact inclusion of queer people in her life. Through it all, despite occasional fights, she has a strong bond with her mother.
Anna carries the story through, inhabiting and voicing/signing her feelings, but mostly remaining grounded. It’s a moving coming-of-age portrait with a fresh look and a fresh feel. Definitely a must see.
• IMDb • trailer (without subtitles or captions) • official website • Wikipedia • Facebook / Instagram / Vimeo / YouTube: @GeyrhalterFilm • Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lachelst Siena Popovic nichtbinare
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