In conservative southwestern Germany, four people face a fundamental challenge in their quest to find a path to a happier life. In doing so, everything changes for them.

At one point in their lives, they knew with every fiber of their being that things could not continue as they were and that a major change in their lives was necessary. Otherwise, there would be no escape from their emotional chaos and no hope for a happier future.

Their names are Gabriel, Elisabeth, Melina and Dunja. Before, they had different names, different lives, and different genders.

They tried, unsuccessfully, to maintain conventional marriages or dreamed of becoming a deacon in the church. Now they work in a metal factory, paddle on Lake Constance, or lift weights in a fitness studio.

The world they live in is shaped by conservative values. People often meet them with reservation, incomprehension and aversion, but also with curiosity and kindness.

On their journey to their new selves, they finally find what they hoped for, what they fought for, and what they suffered for: moments of happiness, love and harmony with themselves.

Cast

Herself
Melina Huber
Himself
Gabriel Hofmann
Herself
Dunja Wiesner
Herself
Elisabeth Metzger
Denn dieses Leben lebst nur Du - Poster 1

Life is Yours

Douglas Wolfsperger

  • Documentary
Production Country / Year
Germany 2025
Language
dt., Deutscher Dialekt OF m. engl. UT
Format
DCP, Color, 80min
2.39:1, Discrete 5.1
Original Title
Denn dieses Leben lebst nur Du

Director & Crew

Douglas Wolfsperger 1

Douglas Wolfsperger

Born in 1957 in Zurich/Switzerland. Directing Internship at Südwest Funk in Baden-Baden. Worked on numerous productions of the University of Television and Film Munich. Directed numerous TV documentaries as well as documentaries for cinema and feature films. Active as artistic director of the German Film Festival Biberach as well as a director and screenwriter.


Filmography

1985 Lebe kreuz und sterbe quer Spielfilm
1986 Kies Spielfilm
1992 Probefahrt ins Paradies Spielfilm 1992
1999 Heirate mir! — Die Braut und ihr Totengräber Spielfilm
2001 Bellaria — Solange wir leben! Dokumentarfilm
2003 Die Blutritter Dokumentarfilm
2004 War’n Sie schonmal in mich verliebt? Dokumentarfilm
2006 Der lange Weg ans Licht Dokumentarfilm
2008 Der entsorgte Vater Dokumentarfilm 2008
2012 Doppelleben Dokumentarfilm
2014 Wiedersehen mit Brundibar Dokumentarfilm 2014
2018 Scala Adieu — Von Windeln verweht Dokumentarfilm 2018
2025 Denn dieses Leben lebst nur du! Dokumentarfilm 2025
2023 Der Wald gehört uns Dokumentarfilm
Writer
Douglas Wolfsperger
Director of Photography
Florian Mag
Frank Amann
Jürgen Haller
Editor
Ben von Grafenstein
Laia Prat
Sound
Jan Geiling
Oliver Stahn
Sound Designer
Tobias Eichelberg
Music Composer
Peter Albrecht
Producer
Douglas Wolfsperger