Neubau - New Building

Markus lives in the Uckermark. He is a trans man temping at an ostrich farm, jogging, thinking about sex. He lovingly cares for his grandmothers. Nevertheless, Markus is lonely. NEW BUILDING takes a look at loneliness outside the cities, and the loneliness in the east of the republic.

When the phone rings, Markus is having sex with a stranger. Unexpectedly, the pleasure comes to an end, an emergency: Markus' grandmother Alma, who suffers dementia, has gone lost again. He drives around with his other grandmother, Sabine, until they find Alma. The region - that's the Uckermark in Brandenburg, beautiful, hilly, lots of nature, and few people. So we are in the countryside, in midsummer, with a gay man who lives with his two grandmas. Markus, as we only gradually realise, is a trans man. The two grandmas know it, of course, but they don't care. Markus chats with them often, comforts Sabine a bit, assists Alma as much as she will let him. They appreciate one another very much, but Markus is lonely. In his head, he keeps envisioning his apartment populated by a large and colourful LGBTQIA+ family. He wants more conversation in his life, more movement. His life consists of his work on an ostrich farm, and the fields and light when he does his daily jogging. He would like to trade his rural freedom for the hustle and bustle of a metropolis; he feels the attraction of Berlin, although he has never been there. In the midst of planning his escape, however, Markus unexpectedly stumbles into a love story: Duc installs antennas on the surrounding farms. The attachment, however, also has a hitch: Duc knows Berlin. He says it is "beautiful in a different way", and prefers to stay in the countryside. Markus does not know what the right decision for him is.

Johannes Maria Schmit's film is based on a screenplay by Tucké Royale, who also takes on the lead role. Royale is a well-known artist in the German queer scene, of which NEW BUILDING presents an excerpt: he takes a look at the loneliness of life outside the cities, and the loneliness in the east of the republic – which affects many, not only the LGBTQIA+ community.

© Schuldenberg Films - Smina Bluth