GERMANY – 2022 – DCP – color – 112’

Direction: Jöns Jönsson
Screenplay: Jöns Jönsson
Cinematography: Johannes Louis
Editing: Stefan Oliveira-Pita
Set design: Claudia Steinert
Costumes: Elisabeth Kraus
Cast: Moritz Treuenfels (Julius), Ricarda Seifried (Marie), Thomas Schubert (Erik), Petra Welteroth (Hannelore), Max Themak (Jonas), Ines Marie Westernströer (Lizi), Zeihun Demirov (Savo), Felix Tittel (Frank), Deniz Orta (Melanie), Hendrik Kraft (Robert)
Producers: Amir Hamz, Christian Springer, Fahri Yardim
Production: Bon Voyage Films in coproduzione con WDR, ARTE

SYNOPSIS

Julius is an eloquent young museum attendant loved by his friends, colleagues and his girlfriend. One day he invites his colleagues tojoin him for a sailing trip on his aristocratic family’s sailing boat. But something goes wrong. Julius is not who he seems to be.Moritz Treuenfels is the perfect choice to embody this charming young man one gladly follows at first, only to feel less and less comfortable with the contradictions that arise from his fluid approach to life. In this finely written and directed film about identity and social behaviour, Jöns Jönsson pushes the idea of “fake it till you make it” to its breaking point. Julius impresses everyone withhis worldly knowledge and free-flowing conversation embodying modern ideals of self-reinvention. Yet his behavioural patterns arein conflict with the rules of society. Unfolding with a flexibility that echoes that of the protagonist,Axiomis a fascinating explorationof this disquieting contradiction that is both visceral and intellectually dizzying.

THE DIRECTOR: JÖNS JÖNSSON

Jöns Jönsson was born in Stockholm 1981. In 2006 he started studying directing at the film school Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Germany. His short Havet competed in the 2009 Berlinale Shorts programme. His debut feature Lamentowon the First Steps Award and had its premiere in 2014 at the Berlinale section “Perspektive Deutsches Kino”. His latest feature Axiom was also selected to compete at the Berlinale, in the section “Encounters” in 2022.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

“I got the idea for Axiom from a short anecdote a friend told me many years back. Somebody he knew had a new colleague who always had something interesting to say. A charismatic, sympathetic guy whom you’d be happy to be friends with. One day he invited his colleagues to go sailing but the trip never took place. It then took a while longer till they found out there was something up with the guy.
Axiom is a film about the human condition, as I see it, boiled down to that one phrase “Fake it till you make it”, which for me is a very striking description of our human behaviour from birth to death. My fascination of a person who is, in a contradictory way, so connected with his environment and yet so isolated from it, made me start thinking about this matter, and eventually took me to a point where I completely had to question any kind of ‘true identity’, in line with the views of writer Luigi Pirandello, suggesting we all invent a new identity for each new person we meet.”

FILMOGRAPHY
2008 Havet (The Sea, short)
2009 Grand Ayatollah Bajat Sandschani (short doc.)
2011 Wertingen (short)
2013 Lamento
2022 Axiom

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

2022 Berlinale – Encounters
2022 Hong Kong IFF – Young Cinema Competition: Best Actor