The Ordinaries

Sophie Linnenbaum's 2023 German film is set in a world where people are classified as film characters. Paula is a supporting character studying at the Main Character School and hoping to graduate into a lead. As the examination approaches she notices a gap in her own past. The film translates the language of cinema directly into social hierarchy. Supporting characters have no story of their own, extras cannot speak and the flawed live off the record; censorship, sorting and invisibility are the instruments of that order. The form supports the idea: some characters appear in black and white, some stay in a square frame, some have sound that will not sync. The budget is small and the inventions are conceptual rather than technical. Who it's for: those who like conceptual science fiction and cinema about cinema. Who it's not for: viewers looking for emotional depth; the film keeps its allegory ahead of its characters.