The Humanitarians

"I want a woman!" bellows the disabled uncle from his tree out into the world in Fellini's Amarcord. Embarrassed, his relatives try in vain to shut him up. The echo of this cry rings loudly throughout Die Menschenliebe. People with disabilities still have very little opportunity to pursue their sexual desires in a self-determined way. Jochen struggles desperately to prevent his sister from confiscating his porn; she negates his feelings because she 'knows' that is not what her brother really wants. Sven is in a wheelchair and can only explore his bisexuality if he pays for it. Our society sees the disabled as perpetual children, as innocent as Adam and Eve before the damned apple. Die Menschenliebe speaks out for equal rights in sinfulness and, in doing so, gives the protagonists back their dignity. (Berlinale)