Close to the Horizon

Jessica has just started university and comes from a settled family. She meets Danny at a party. He is attractive, evasive and lets nobody close. Once the relationship begins she learns his history, and that knowledge means the time in front of them both is limited. The subject is not love but starting a relationship knowing how it ends. Jessica's decision is not romantic; she knows she cannot save him and stays anyway. The film tries to present this as sacrifice, and that is where it is weakest. The form follows the template of popular youth romance: wide landscapes, curated songs, moments in slow motion. The image is clean and smooth, and the gap between that polish and the weight of the subject is uncomfortable. The source is Jessica Koch's novel. The author says the book rests on what she lived through, and it sold heavily in Germany; most readers came to the film through that connection. It was widely watched on Netflix. Luna Wedler plays Jessica and Jannik Schümann plays Danny. Tim Trachte directs. Who it is for: viewers who like youth romance and sad love stories. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the subject to be done justice; the film renders heavy material in a polished form and never deepens.