Kilian Armando Friedrich, the German writer-director, is set to debut his fiction feature, I Understand Your Displeasure (Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut), at the Berlin International Film Festival, offering an unvarnished look into the often-overlooked world of the cleaning industry. Friedrich aims for audiences to experience the grind of the cleaning sector firsthand, eschewing a detached, "voyeuristic" perspective in favor of visceral immersion into the daily struggles of its workers and managers. The film, co-written with Tünde Sautier and Daniel Kunz, premieres Friday, February 13, in the festival’s Panorama section.
The film delves into the demanding reality of balancing cut-throat low-wage business pressures with essential human connections, questioning whether such a balance is truly achievable. Starring Sabine Thalau, a non-professional actress, alongside a cast including Nada Kosturin, Werner Posselt, Sadibou Diabang, and Nigyar Velagic, the narrative focuses on authenticity over traditional cinematic gloss. Films Boutique is handling global sales for the WennDann Film production.
Unveiling the Hidden World of Cleaning
At the heart of I Understand Your Displeasure is Heike, 59, a customer service manager for a cleaning company. Her role requires her to navigate the often-conflicting interests of clients, company management, and the cleaning staff she oversees. The central conflict arises when Heike’s attempt to recruit a worker from a key subcontractor backfires, prompting the subcontractor to threaten an end to their partnership unless Heike secures increased hours and revenue for him.
This ultimatum places Heike in an impossible moral bind: the only viable solution appears to be the dismissal of one of her own employees. The film meticulously explores how far she is willing to go to preserve her company’s operations and her own position in an industry where ethical compromises are routine. The Berlin International Film Festival provides a prestigious platform for this critical examination of modern labor.
Personal Genesis of a Gritty Narrative
Friedrich’s inspiration for I Understand Your Displeasure stems from a deeply personal experience. During his school years, he occasionally worked for a housekeeper who also managed her own cleaning business. He was profoundly impressed by her immense workload and the relentless pressures she faced. This period of working alongside her, cleaning diverse locations from swimming pools to chocolate factories, left an indelible mark.
Years later, Friedrich and this cleaning manager began collaborating on a screenplay based on her experiences. Tragically, she took her own life before its completion. Friedrich remained convinced that the daily pressures of her job, the pervasive lack of acknowledgment, and the constant moral conflicts she encountered — trying to reconcile a cost- and efficiency-driven market mindset with interpersonal demands — played a significant role in her struggles. Through this film, Friedrich seeks to provide visibility for this invisible labor and, with protagonist Heike, to find moments of resilience and happiness amidst overwhelming adversity.
The Intense Pressures of the Cleaning Sector
The cleaning sector, as depicted in the film and articulated by Friedrich, is characterized by inherent contradictions. A cleaning manager is perpetually caught between the often-competing demands of customers, clients, company bosses, and the cleaning personnel themselves. This creates a constant struggle between the drive for efficiency and the need to maintain sustainable, humane working conditions.
Friedrich’s research revealed a market in a "race to the bottom." The elimination of mandatory master qualifications led to a proliferation of small businesses, igniting extreme price wars. Clients frequently prioritize the lowest bid over quality or ethical standards, fueled by the persistent stereotype that cleaning is an "easy job" requiring little skill or recognition. This devaluation of labor intensifies the grind of the cleaning sector, making it a challenging and often thankless profession.
Immersive Filmmaking: Capturing the Grind, Not a Gaze
To translate the immense pressure of Heike’s world into a tangible experience for the audience, Friedrich, along with cinematographers Louis Dickhaut and Frederik Seeberger, made deliberate creative and production choices. A key decision was to maintain constant physical proximity to the characters, employing handheld cameras to eliminate any sense of "voyeuristic distance." This immersive approach ensures that viewers are always "with her," sharing her lived experience without the detachment of conventional framing.
The filmmakers intentionally avoided wide establishing shots, opting instead to plunge the audience directly into the characters’ immediate realities. They eschewed traditional shot lists and a rigid aesthetic approach, prioritizing the authentic expression of the characters. This meant staying in real-time as much as possible, minimizing edits that might manipulate the perceived duration of a scene. When cuts do occur, they are designed to be abrupt, throwing the viewer into a new, immediate moment, contributing to the "breathless" feeling experienced by audiences. The goal was not to create a "beautiful experience" in a conventional sense, but an "intense experience" that authentically conveys the grind of the cleaning sector.
Authenticity Through Non-Professional Talent
Friedrich’s background in documentary filmmaking significantly influenced his decision to cast non-professional actors. He views these individuals not merely as amateurs but as "professionals in their world," experts whose lived experiences are richer and more nuanced than any fictional construct. This approach allows for a collaborative process where actors can improvise and express dialogue in their own authentic voices, building a sense of security and ownership over their roles. Lead actress Sabine Thalau, for instance, provided significant input, transforming the directing process into a two-way street.
This casting philosophy is also rooted in Friedrich’s admiration for Neorealist filmmakers like Cesare Zavattini, who advocated for portraying everyday people rather than idealized heroes. Friedrich believes that "a hero is so far away from daily life" and creates a "wall between the audience and what they see." By featuring individuals who resemble those encountered in daily life, the film dismantles this wall, fostering a deeper connection and preventing the audience from maintaining a detached viewing experience. This commitment to real people and their backgrounds, though often leading to "chaotic" production challenges, is central to capturing the raw reality of the grind of the cleaning sector.
Ethical Responsibility and Transformative Impact
Filming in an industry built on "invisible labor" — where workers often operate during night shifts, move rapidly between locations, and are generally unseen — comes with significant ethical responsibilities. Friedrich acknowledges the complexity of suddenly placing these individuals, who have never experienced such attention, in front of a camera. He emphasizes the importance of being present for the cast, fostering an environment where they can openly discuss their shared experiences.
A notable outcome of this approach has been the transformative impact on Sabine Thalau. While she has returned to her role as a cleaning manager, the film ignited her passion for acting. She is actively pursuing agency representation, and her talent has been widely recognized by those who have seen the movie. Friedrich sees her potential in diverse roles, citing her "strength and charisma." The film, therefore, not only sheds light on a marginalized profession but also provided an unexpected avenue for one of its real-life practitioners to connect with her artistic identity.
Influences and the Philosophy of Empathetic Cinema
Friedrich openly credits the early works of the Dardenne brothers, particularly Rosetta and The Child, as significant influences. He admires their focus on individual experience rather than "systematic propaganda," a distinction he also applies to some aspects of Ken Loach’s work, though he holds Loach in high regard as a role model. His cinematic philosophy centers on films that provoke questions about societal treatment and foster connection.
He cites Albert Camus, who wrote about people walking differently after seeing a movie, interpreting this as the overwhelming, "voyeuristic empathy" of being immersed in someone’s life for 90 minutes. Beyond the Dardennes and Loach, Friedrich draws inspiration from Cristian Mungiu, early Andrea Arnold, Agnès Varda, Roberto Minervini, and Mohammad Rasoulof, alongside a strong foundation in documentary filmmaking. This eclectic range of influences underscores his commitment to a cinema that is both socially conscious and deeply human, essential for authentically portraying the grind of the cleaning sector.
The "Silent Giant": Scale and Precarity of the Cleaning Sector
The cleaning sector in Germany, often referred to as a "silent giant," holds immense economic significance despite its frequent operation under precarious conditions. Friedrich highlights that it is the country’s largest craft sector by employee count, with 700,000 formally registered workers in commercial cleaning. This figure, however, does not account for the millions more who work in private homes, many of whom are not officially declared, further obscuring the true scale and impact of this essential workforce.
This vast, yet largely invisible, labor force underpins significant portions of the economy. The film serves as a crucial reminder of their contributions and the often-challenging environments in which they operate. By bringing these statistics and realities to the forefront, I Understand Your Displeasure contributes to a broader public discourse about labor rights, fair wages, and the societal value of all forms of work.
Future Endeavors: Beyond the Cleaning Sector
Looking beyond I Understand Your Displeasure, Kilian Armando Friedrich is already developing new projects. One concept explores the complex and often tragic phenomenon of children being "kidnapped" by their own families after welfare offices decide to remove them from their homes. The proposed film would follow a parent and child on a journey through the Germany, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium region, attempting to forge a new life in hiding.
This narrative aims to delve into the emancipation of the child, who eventually seeks to end this forced odyssey. Friedrich’s continued interest in stories that confront challenging social dynamics, human resilience, and ethical dilemmas suggests a consistent thread in his filmmaking, extending his empathetic lens to other marginalized or complex human experiences.
In its entirety, I Understand Your Displeasure stands as a powerful testament to the often-unseen struggles of the cleaning sector. Through its authentic portrayal and immersive filmmaking techniques, it compels audiences to confront the human cost of economic pressures and to re-evaluate their perceptions of dignity, labor, and connection in modern society.
