Luisa lives in a residential group at a facility for people
with disabilities on the outskirts of a small German town. It is
unexpectedly discovered that she is pregnant. Everyone knows that her
boyfriend, Anton, is infertile. The suspicion of sexual abuse is evident.
Luisa decides to terminate the pregnancy. The police are called in to
determine whether a crime has been committed. The investigation becomes a
test of endurance for Luisa, her relationship with Anton, and for the
entire staff at the residential facility.

Cast

Luisa: Celina Scharff

Lea: Trixi Strobel

Anton: Dennis Seidel

Luisas Mutter: Eva Löbau

Luisas Vater: Bernd Hölscher

Tanja: Katharina Bromka

Fabian: Hadi Khanjanpour

Daniel: Martin Schnippa

Einrichtungsleiter: Peter Lohmeyer

Otto: Michael Schuhmacher

LUISA - Poster 1 — Luisa

Julia Roesler

Fiction

Production Country / Year: Germany 2025

Language: dt. OF m. engl. UT

Format: DCP, Color, 94min
1.90:1, Discrete 5.1

12

Ages 12 and older

Sexual violence, Threat, Emotional stress: stressful scenes

Nominated for:

Bild+Kunst Förderpreis

Förderpreis neues deutsches Kino

Friedrich-Baur-Goldpreis

Hofer Kritiker Preis

Director & Crew

Julia Roesler 1 — Julia Roesler

Born in 1978 in Göttingen. Studies in Cultural Sciences and Aesthetic Practice in Hildesheim, guest studies in Freiburg and Argentina. Active as a freelance director for theater and film and as an instructor at various universities.

Filmography

2018 Marina Kurzfilm

2021 Fredda Meyer Kurzfilm

2022 Anna Kurzfilm

2024 Schwester Johann Baptist Kurzfilm

2025 Luisa Spielfilm 2025

“The goal was to circle around the story of Luisa and her confrontation with the boundary violations she experiences as sensitively and respectfully as possible. In parallel, we wanted to show the often-hidden world of people with disabilities within a powerful institution that is supposed to protect them but actually threatens their physical integrity and self-determination. How can we dramatically and visually depict that the structure of residential care facilities enables abuse to such an extent—institutions that promise protection for the most vulnerable people in society but cannot deliver on this promise? How can we as a society change this? For the filming, it was important to have an inclusive cast with whom all these questions could be discussed in order to avoid reproducing stereotypes about people with disabilities and to shed light on the perspectives of people with disabilities.”

Julia Roesler

Writer: Julia Roesler; Silke Merzhäuser
Director of Photography: Frank Amann
Editor: Anne Jünemann
Set Designer: Thomas Rump
Costume Designer: Anna-Leena Rieger
Sound Designer: Ansgar Frerich; Sebastian Tesch
Music Composer: Insa Rudolph
Make-up: Hanna Buss
Producer: Julia Roesler; Gunter Hanfgarn; Silke Merzhäuser; Andrea Ufer