Tracing Addai

In his early 20s, Addai leaves everything behind, his life in Germany, his education, his friends and his mother. He joins a Salafist group in Syria and meets Ilias, who also comes from Germany. Both want to "serve a higher purpose" in Syria. On one hand they feel like brothers, but on the other, they try not to show any weakness to anyone, and avoid private conversations. From Germany, Addai's mother tries desperately to persuade her son to repent, as Addai slips deeper and deeper into a life at war. It doesn't take long before this is also noticeable psychologically. Based on archive material and the statements of Ilias, who made contact with Addai's mother from prison, director Esther Niemeier, who knew Addai well, reconstructs his story. Using the rotoscopy process, the director alienates the images of the protagonists in order to protect their identity, but still tries to give an answer to the question of "why".

Luc-Carolin Ziemann
Curator, author and film educator