Drama series 6 x 45 minutes

By Katrin Milhahn, Antonia Rothe-Liermann and Marieke Schroeder

 

It's about young people - about what happens when the inner balance gets out of hand. Mental illnesses tell us a lot about the network in which a person lives. Which friends, which parents, where do I live, where am I digitally, what am I and who?

"The Kids are alright" is a series about our time and our society. It tells of the fears and insecurities of those who have to deal with the difficulties. It tells us about love and despair, but also about hope and self-healing, about doubt and confidence. It focuses on the children and young people and their families, delves into their disorders, does not report from the outside, but shows the inner experience - for example the brutal reality of an imaginary obsessive thought. The child is helplessly at the mercy of this. The intrusive thought cannot be pushed away. 

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Parents usually want to protect their children. In the case of a broken leg, they know the steps from hospital to recovery and often intuitively feel how they can help their offspring. But it stops with the psyche. A hug - a "we can do it" is not enough. The mental disorder, however, calls the entire system into question - the family system, the social system, one's own self. What have I done? What haven't I done? They seek the opinions of others and quickly realize how many are affected. The pandemic acted like an accelerant. 

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"The kids are alright" was developed from personal experience. Funded by the FFF Bayern, the authors are able to translate documentaries. Because only the fictional film frees us from the shackles of reality and gives us an idea of the often brutal power of the psyche. 

 

 

Synopsis

 

On his way to school, Julius (14) has to count traffic lights until he reaches his magic number; his complicated everyday life is dictated by constraints. Ida (9) gets into fights at school and doesn't know how to deal with the chaos in her head. Anna (16) is involved in "Last Generation" and no longer sees any sense in life because of her fear of the future. So much for what you see from the outside. But how does it feel to be driven by uncontrollable compulsions, how does it feel to live on a volcano full of anger or in a sea of sadness? 

"The Kids Are Alright" describes the children's diagnoses not only as an external challenge but also from an internal perspective. Their stories intersect in the waiting room of child and adolescent psychiatrists Dr. Elena Mattik (27) and Josef Seidenschwang (61). The series tells the story of our protagonists' struggle for their mental health. Emphatically, unsparingly, but always full of hope.  

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