''Close to the Horizon'' () is a 2019

romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by Tim Trachte, starring Jannik Schümann and

Luna Wedler Luna Wedler (born 26 October 1999) is a Swiss people, Swiss actress. She gained popularity by starring in the 2020 Netflix series ''Biohackers''. Early life Wedler grew up alongside two siblings in Zürich's District 6 (Zürich), District 6. S ...

, based on the 2017 best-selling novel ''So Near the Horizon'' by Jessica Koch.

Plot

18-year-old Jessica Koch falls head over heels in love with kickboxer and model Danny Taylor. However, behind his outwardly perfect facade lies a deeply traumatized person. Danny is a survivor of severe

physical abuse Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or ...

and

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

by his father who infected him with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. Realizing that it is almost impossible for him to have a normal relationship, Danny blocks Jessica's attempts to get close to him, deliberately hurting her. However, the young woman does not give up. Initially, Jessica is unaware of Danny's past and illness, but notices his strange behavior in certain situations, such as when they have a bicycle accident, or his fear of physical intimacy. When an argument leads to him disclosing his

childhood trauma Childhood trauma is often described as serious adverse childhood experiences. Children may go through a range of experiences that classify as psychological trauma; these might include neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and phys ...

and his HIV status to her, Jessica has some difficult life decisions to make.

Cast

* Jannik Schümann as Danny *

as Jessica *

Stephan Kampwirth Stephan Kampwirth (born 20 March 1967) is a German theatre and screen actor. Biography Kampwirth graduated from Franz Stock High School in Arnsberg in 1986 and then did his civilian service as an ambulance driver in Munich. After training at ...

as Jessica's father * Victoria Mayer as Jessica's mother * Luise Befort as Tina *

Denis Moschitto Denis Moschitto (born 22 June 1977) is a German actor best known for his roles in ''Kebab Connection'' (2005), ''Chiko'' (2008) and ''In the Fade'' (2017). Early life Moschitto was born in Cologne, West Germany, to an Italians in Germany, Ita ...

as Jörg *

Frederick Lau Frederick Lau (born 17 August 1989) is a German actor. Biography He grew up in Berlin-Steglitz, and still lives there. He was awarded the Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards, colloquially known as the Lolas) for portraying the student Tim ...

as Danny's coach

Production

Koch's novel ''Dem Horizont so nah'' was first released as an e-book in Germany in 2016, becoming a bestseller. It was later released in print, followed by two other books, forming the trilogy series ''Danny–Trilogie''. The second book in the trilogy focuses on Danny's growing up and the roots of his childhood trauma. Jannik Schümann, who portrayed Danny, stated that reading about the childhood sexual abuse in detail made him "furious" but helped him prepare for the role mentally. The filming took place in September and November 2018 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. The first trailer was presented in early July 2019. The film was released theatrically on October 10, 2019. Jannik Schümann starring as Danny received the Jupiter Award for Best Actor.
Deutscher Schauspielerpreis, Nachwuchs
'' In: ustinov-stiftung.de, 1. Juni 2016.

Accolades

* Jannik Schümann as Danny, Jupiter Award 2019 for Best Actor.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2010s coming-of-age drama films 2019 romantic drama films 2010s teen drama films 2010s teen romance films 2019 films Coming-of-age romance films Films based on German novels Films based on romance novels Films based on young adult literature German coming-of-age drama films German romantic drama films German teen drama films 2010s German-language films 2010s German films