Educational Media Reviews Online

Leonie Krippendorff’s coming-of-age film Cocoon is set in a hot summer in Berlin’s multicultural Kreuzberg neighborhood. The story is about Nora, a shy 14-year-old, and her transformation. The film develops in a high school setting nicely presented as diverse without bullying or discrimination, very refreshing.

Nora lives with her older sister Jule and her alcoholic mother, Vivienne. Both sisters are practically on their own and they support each other, their mother mostly absent from their lives. Nora keeps caterpillars in jars and watches them transform. She spends her days very relaxed with her sister. The first half of the film is mostly about teenagers in school with their superficial behavior, not that interesting. Then there is a turn of events, and the film starts getting into more depth and more symbolic.

One day Nora gets her first period in a gym class in front of her classmates, some shots are a bit too graphic. Nora felt totally shamed with herself until Romy comes to her rescue. Not long after that Nora and Romy are hanging out together. Soon enough Nora realizes that she enjoys her time with Romy and that her feelings towards her are somehow different. Nora talks to one of the school counselors, but she gets kind of ignored. The film continues presenting some sensual and delicate moments with nice shots. There is also an interesting shot when Nora glances through the pages of Judith Butler’s Bodies That Matter, a gift given to her mom by a friend on her birthday.

Even though Nora’s feelings are reciprocated, there is always the uncertainty at that age. Although Nora gets her heart broken, she learns to stand up for herself and what she wants. Cocoon symbolizes Nora’s transformation not only from child to womanhood but also to recognize, encounter and accept her sexual identity.

The acting is very good, captures very well teenagers’ attitudes. Lena Urzendowsky under Nora’s roles does an excellent performance.

This film is recommended for intermediate and upper German classes where culture, social subjects and gender are studied. Also, could be used in a gender studies class. It would be a nice addition to any public library collection.

Awards:
Bavarian Film Award, Best Young Actress; Bavarian Film Award, Best Direction - Young Film; German Film Critics Award: Best Cinematography; Winner, 4 Awards, Santo Domingo OutFest

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