Charleen (Jasna Fritzi Bauer), 15 3/4 years old, prefers to listen to music by dead people and sometimes wonders why everything has to be so complicated. She has “zero appetite” for family, school and certainly not for the usual girl talk about boys and fashion with her best friend Isa. More out of spite and on a whim, Charleen decides one day to kill herself. But at that very moment her cell phone rings and instead of the afterlife she ends up in hospital. Her mother Sabine (Heike Makatsch) is only allowed to take her home if Charleen promises to see a psychotherapist. To her surprise, she meets Linus, the biggest nerd in her class, in the waiting room. Linus is a bit of an oddball, but cheers up Charleen's pessimistic view of the world. Love catches Charleen unexpectedly and on the wrong foot. To her own surprise, she realizes that life can also be a lot of fun. “A gem of young German cinema” (Rolling Stone) “[Mark Monheim's] feature film debut 'About a Girl' [deals] once again with a young woman in crisis. This time, however, much more detailed, closer and warmer. This is also due to Jasna Fritzi Bauer ('Barbara', 'Scherbenpark'). Because she is someone who manages to create a special connection. On the one hand, this is due to her voice-over. But it's also the way Bauer lets her Charleen meet the world around her. Explosive and angry. Charleen grumbles and grumbles. Her looks and gestures often speak a different language. You have to manage this balancing act first. [...] 'About a Girl' is a search for the flaw in the system. Monheim does this unsystematically, and that's good. Even more exciting is the feeling that gradually spreads: the suicide attempt fits into the life shown and yet falls out, as it were. Somehow it makes sense. And then it doesn't at all. That is disturbing. Therein lies the intelligence of this movie. Charleen herself sums it up well. When she is asked about the bandage wrapped around her head, she simply blurts out: “I just had a big thought.” (Carolin Weidner, on: spiegel.de) From the jury statement “FBW particularly valuable”: “Along the way, basic teenage problems that everyone knows are dealt with: Whether first love, awakening sexuality, patchwork families or other worries and conflicts - Monheim deals with all these topics in a refreshingly light and uncomplicated way. Even the title credits reveal the dry humor of the main character, who doesn't hold back with her opinions and tries to distance herself from the world through sarcasm. But in the end, the fun of life wins out. Because life can be beautiful. You just have to open your eyes and heart to it. A refreshingly light-hearted and yet touching debut with no finger-wagging, but with a positive message.” *** NOTE: Suicidal thoughts resemble a vicious circle that seems inevitable, but can be broken. They are often the result of mental illnesses such as psychosis, addiction, personality disorders and depression, which can be alleviated and even cured with professional help. Those affected can find help, for example, from the telephone helpline on 0800-111 0 111 and 0800-111 0 222. The counselors are available around the clock, every call is anonymous, free of charge and is not recorded on the telephone bill or itemized bill. Other direct points of contact are general practitioners and outpatient clinics specializing in suicidality in psychiatric hospitals, which are organized differently depending on the federal state and region. An overview of a wide range of counseling services for people with suicidal thoughts can be found on the website of the German Society for Suicide Prevention.