The film follows Frank Meyer, a retired bodybuilder, for more than ten years. He begins to question his masculinity and to come to terms with his violent childhood. Unable to allow even a hug, animals become a substitute for human closeness. He suffers a stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. But despite his limitations, he trains excessively and hopes to return someday.

Cast

himself: Frank Meyer

Frank Meyer - Poster 2 — Frank Meyer

Leonhard Hofmann, Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic

Documentary

Production Country / Year: Germany 2023

Language: de. OF mit en. UT

Format: DCP, Color, 83min
1.33:1, Discrete 5.1

Director & Crew

Leonhard Hofmann 1 — Leonhard Hofmann

Born in 1987 in Nicaragua, grew up in Germany. After earning a Bachelor in Motion Pictures, he is currently studying Directing at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.

Filmography

2016 SHLOMI & MAZY, Kurzdokumentarfilm

2018 THE HANDOVER, Kurzfilm

2022 THAT DIVINE CADAVER, experimenteller Kurzfilm

2023 THREE TREES DON'T MAKE A FOREST, Kurzfilm

FRANK MEYER (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm HOF 2023

Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic 1 — Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic

Born in 1988 in Darmstadt. Studied Motion Pictures at Darmstadt Hochschule. Postgraduate studies at KHM in Cologne. Active as a freelance film maker.

Filmography

2023 FRANK MEYER (Co-Regie), Dokumentarfilm HOF 2023

“When we started working on this project in 2012, we didn’t think the shooting would span ten years. Our interest was in Frank, a then 45-year-old bodybuilder whose career was over. Working in a team of two, we approached him with great openness and offered him a space to talk about his past in regular sessions. By means of the camera, a process began in which he was able to explore his own emotional world and to question the image of his masculinity. We focused especially on his family background and his socialization, a set-up that was characterized by violence and toxic role models. Frank dedicated his life to a body cult that eventually became his undoing in terms of health. At the same time, he remained committed to his inner motivation for weight training, even though his later condition made it seem almost impossible.

FRANK MEYER tells the story of a man [...] whose life is a feat of strength. An observation in which we could see something universal and in which we eventually recognized ourselves.”

Leonhard Hofmann

Director of Photography: Leonhard Hofmann
Editor: Leonhard Hofmann; Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic
Sound: Paul Ziesche; Constantin Stemmler; Bertold Budig
Sound Designer: Florian Biehler; Hendrik Feller
Music Composer: Paul Ziesche; Constantin Stemmler
Producer: Leonhard Hofmann; Riccardo Dejan Jurkovic