Pelican blood – For the love of my daughter: Nina Hoss fights for the love of her daughter

How far does a mother go for her daughter's love? Actress Nina Hoss reaches the limits of her strength in "Pelikanblut".

At the 76th Venice International Film Festival, "Pelican Blood – For the Love of My Daughter" premiered at the end of August 2019. The film by director Katrin Gebbe (born 1983, "Tore tanzt") will be released in German cinemas on September 24, 2020. It's a drama paired with elements of thriller and horror. The focus is on German actress Nina Hoss (45, "Das Vorspiel") as a single adoptive mother who is once again in top form.

This is what "Pelican Blood – For the Love of My Daughter" is about

Wiebke (Nina Hoss) lives together with her adopted daughter Nikolina (Adelina-Constance Ocleppo) on an idyllic horse farm. After many years of waiting, she now has the chance to adopt another girl, Raya (Katerina Lipovska), from Bulgaria. Nikolina is happy about the long-awaited sibling. The first few weeks as a family are harmonious and the new siblings get along wonderfully.

But Wiebke soon notices that the – initially charming Raya – is hiding something. She is becoming more and more aggressive and represents an increasing threat to herself and others. In order to save her family, Wiebke has to make an extreme decision.

A girl out of control

As Wiebke, Nina Hoss leaves no stone unturned to cure or rehabilitate her second adopted daughter, who is classified as a hopeless case by the rest of her environment and even doctors. As an adoptive mother, the actress is pushed to her limits, to the point of giving up on herself. She embodies Wiebke vividly and convincingly, whose motherly love is paramount and yet becomes an acid test. And maternal care is taking on bizarre features.

Raya, wonderfully cute and creepy portrayed by the little Katerina Lipovska from Bulgaria, starts with pranks that are probably common for children. The food flies across the room, the sister's soft toys are destroyed. But it quickly becomes dangerous when other children are injured and when fire is played with. Raya says she is obsessed with something evil. Nikolina, portrayed just as movingly by Adelina-Constance Ocleppo, is increasingly being sidelined. Their emotional state is often only clear through their facial expressions. This is small, big cinema.

As a viewer, one vacillates between the hope that everything will turn out for the better and the oppressive feeling that the measure has long been full. But do you have to or should you give up a traumatized child? How far can a mother go for her daughter's love? In "Pelikanblut", Katrin Gebbe provides the solution for the supernatural, the mystical.

Conclusion

"Pelican blood – For the love of my daughter" is not for the faint of heart. The haunting film skillfully combines drama with horror elements and a cute little girl teaches the viewer to fear. Three strong performances carry the story: Nina Hoss almost steal her two film daughters, Katerina Lipovksa and Adelina-Constance Ocleppo, the show.

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