In a remote villa somewhere in Austria lives ten-year-old Elli and the man she refers to as “papa”. However, the relationship between the two is not what it seems at first glance. For one thing, “papa” touches Elli in a way no adult should ever touch a child. For the other, Elli is a robot. Combining ideas from Spike Jonze’s HER and Alex Garland’s EX MACHINA with the stark and unpleasant tone of Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl, Sandra Wollner’s stylish and atmospheric sci-fi film poses some very uncomfortable questions.
THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN is the winner of our competition section for international fiction, Cinema Extraordinaire. The film will have an extra screening Sunday 18 October.

Sandra Wollner

Sandra Wollner (Austria) Filmography: DAS UNMÖGLICHE BILD (2016)