AXIOM

World premiere: Berlinale 2022 / Encounters competition

Julius is an eloquent young museum attendant loved by his friends, colleagues and his girlfriend.  One day he invites his colleagues to join him for a sailing trip on his aristocratic family’s sailing boat. But something goes wrong. Julius is not who he seems to be.

Moritz Treuenfels is the perfect choice to embody this charming young man one gladly follows at first, only to feel less and less comfortable with the contradictions that arise from his fluid approach to life. In this finely written and directed film about identity and social behaviour, Jöns Jönsson pushes the idea of ‘fake it till you make it’ to its breaking point. Julius impresses everyone with his worldly knowledge and free-flowing conversation embodying modern ideals of self-reinvention. Yet his behavioural patterns are in conflict with the rules of society. Unfolding with a flexibility that echoes that of the protagonist, AXIOM is a fascinating exploration of this disquieting contradiction that is both visceral and intellectually dizzying.