In his first novel, Stefan Schmitzer takes the reader to troublesome spots in our cities, our social lives: hardship, violence, lack of perspectives – the perfect conditions for a very special action movie.
A young woman having herself be abducted by two men because she likes the guys to fight over her. A bookmaker’s where residential property and a voluntary declaration of drug possession are being wagered. A teacher stalking a pupil, invading his past and his provenance.
In a straightforward, colloquial tone Schmitzer tells the ballad of a young mother who gives away her child, torn between inarticulate violence and failing attempts at self-discovery. However, »it’s not about her anyway«: the dominant narrative strand is her adolescent son’s encounter with his potential fathers and their half-hearted search for her. It is about a group of people with varyingly bad perspectives (if any) but with a lot of power. »wherever she might have gone, it’s not about her anyway« is a film-like comic-strip ballad, with fast cuts, memorable angles and a very extraordinary atmosphere.