24/7 The Passion of Life

Following a motorbike breakdown, Eva, a hotelier’s daughter, has a chance meeting with Magdalena, a sociologist who works as a dominatrix, "Lady Maria," in a BDSM studio. Fascinated by Lady Maria’s bizarre world, Eva embarks on a search for her own identity and sexuality and begins an odyssey through the hidden settings of lust: a dominatrix studio, a swinger club, a striptease bar—meeting characters who are torn, such as Dominik, who wants to recreate the suffering of Jesus, or Mike, who imagines Eva is a tour guide through the world of lust and then falls in love with her. This is a lyrical study of obsession and loneliness, secret lust, and public morality.

Cast

Esther
Anja Schönleben
Stephanie Evans
Patricia Koch
Lydia
Lydia Hippel
Alexandre
Sabine Krappweis
Franz
Martin Bayer
Jan
Jan Lebr
Evas Vater
Zoltan Paul
Elfriede
Reinhard Wendt
Mike
Michael Burkhardt
Dominik
Dominik Christoph Baumann
Eva
Marina Anna Eich
Lady Maria
Mira Gittner
24/7 The Passion of Life - Poster 1

24/7 The Passion of Life

Roland Reber

  • Fiction
Production Country / Year
Germany 2005
Language
dt. OF ohne UT
Format
DCP, Color, 120min
1.78:1 (16:9), Stereo PCM

Director & Crew

Roland Reber

“In the film, sexuality is a metaphor for our search for identity. It’s a way to know yourself better, to get a little closer to yourself through self-determination. For me, it wasn’t about making a film that says 'join BDSM and you will be free, go to a club and everything will be fine' – no. I was also concerned with the topic of loneliness, how we face life through isolation. It was about being immersed in a world that is not our everyday world. We sought dialogue with people from the respective scenes and tried to reproduce the atmosphere authentically. The film is fictional but based on research, that is, on real fantasies, people, and stories – from both the bourgeois milieu and the respective scenes. Sexuality is a universal subject that is often only addressed to increase ratings, unfortunately. Generally speaking, serious confrontation – even with what we find alienating – just doesn’t happen.”

Roland Reber

“It was important for us to reproduce the atmosphere of the BDSM sessions authentically. That’s why, in order to prepare for the role of the dominatrix, I spent a few days assisting in a BDSM studio as a guest dominatrix. But no, we weren’t making a porn movie; in fact, it is a provocative and poetic journey through the realms of sexuality, loneliness, and the pleasurable torment of our existence.

Because you know, that’s exactly what we experienced during our research.”

Mira Gittner


Music Composer
Wolfgang Edelmayer
Producer
Marina Anna Eich
Patricia Koch-Pritchard
Writer
Mira Gittner
Roland Reber
Editor
Mira Gittner
Director of Photography
Mira Gittner
Roland Reber