“The Germans have to work more!” – this is what has been booming from the Konrad Adenauer House in Berlin over and over again for a while now, with which the CDU is unerringly triggering the same heated discussions, all of which essentially revolve around the one question: Is this actually a legitimate demand or perhaps just polemical chatter from a political bubble that is completely disconnected from everyday reality? “I understand your displeasure” by Kilian Armando Friedrich seems like a powerful answer to this question – and delves deeply into an area that often plays no role in the political and media perception of the topic of work. It’s about the low-wage sector, more precisely about the world of Heike Kamp, the 59-year-old property manager of a building cleaning company.
The protagonist is played by Sabine Thalau, who in “real” life also works as a property manager for a cleaning company – so she knows what she is talking about. As Heike, she fights her way through a bleak everyday life day after day and sometimes resorts to unfair methods because she simply has no other choice. The oppressive social drama quickly captivates you with its semi-documentary production, which allows the boundaries between reality and fiction to completely disappear in many moments, as well as the terrific newcomer in the lead role. At best, he stumbles a little over a superfluous side story about Heike’s unemployed roommate Detlef (Werner Posselt).
With Sabine Thalau, Kilian Armando Friedrich has found a fantastic leading actress for his film.
Heike is in constant stress. The stocky woman with long red hair coordinates, controls and monitors cleaning work in various buildings. She must ensure that her staff not only work, but also complete the tasks at hand thoroughly. During car rides she acts as a contact person for complaining customers and also has to put up with her boss Kemal (Kemal Karatepe). Kemal isn’t exactly in a good mood because he can’t find enough staff and therefore has to be careful not to alienate subcontractor Vadym (Denislav Mihaylov).
It is not ideal that Heike tries to poach an illegally employed employee from Vadym. However, Vadym notices this and threatens to end the collaboration if he doesn’t get more working hours. In order to meet the demands, however, Heike has to fire one of her employees – a colleague who is particularly valued by her employee and friend Taja (Nada Kosturin)…
There isn’t even time for smoking
The extremely agile handheld camera initially accompanies Heike in her everyday work. The woman rushes up and down the stairs, asking employees to work more neatly or not to dawdle. She also refills cleaning agent canisters, collects dirty cleaning rags and listens to what customers have unpleasant things to say in the car. If the customers don’t complain for a change, the boss complains. There is no time to take a breather, which is particularly clear from the fact that Heike constantly reaches for a cigarette, but her smoking seems strangely rushed and she doesn’t seem to enjoy the cigarettes at all.
Heike usually acts harshly when dealing with employees and sometimes crosses moral boundaries. However, an early scene between Taja and her also reveals that there is obviously a good heart in the most adverse circumstances. “I understand your displeasure” is not just about the merciless everyday working life on the fringes of society, but also about how this everyday life transforms people. Sabine Thalau plays it with a lot of restraint, but also with the necessary explosiveness in the right moments. The film’s conflicts are never exaggerated, but always remain realistic – which only makes them more haunting.
Even the lunch break becomes a rare luxury.
Heike’s story captivates from the first minute, touches the heart and ultimately doesn’t result in as much social pessimism as one might expect. However, a side story involving roommate Detlef seems puzzling. Not only does the connection between Heike and Detlef remain completely unclear, you can’t really understand it: Detlef is an unsympathetic shirker who stands in stark contrast to the extremely hard-working property manager. As a precautionary measure, did we want to point out that there are not only exploited workers, but also real lazy people? It remains an unnecessary plot element, but it doesn’t drag the film down badly. Fortunately, Detlef only appears in passing and then at some point he leaves the plot entirely.
Conclusion: A gripping social drama in the low-wage sector that feels oppressively real and features a fantastic leading actress.