They met each other at the dawn of their adult life, when feelings overcome fear and overcome any obstacles. Young and in love - they spend every second together. However, love at first sight cannot last forever, and there is a good reason for this ... The new youth melodrama "So Close to the Horizon" will tell about it. Find out all the secrets of So Close to the Horizon (2020): Interesting facts about filming and actors.
Release date in Russia: January 23, 2020.
Briefly about the film
So Close to the Horizon, directed by Tim Trachte, is a film adaptation of the true story of writer Jessica Koch, whose debut novel became a real sensation in 2016. Arian Schroeder (Last Tour) turned the book into an incredibly emotional script. The main roles were played by European film stars, distinguished at the Berlin Film Festival in 2018 - Luna Vedler ("The Most Beautiful Girl on Earth") and Yannick Schumann ("Center of My World"). The company on the set was made up of Louise Befort (TV series Red Bracelets), Victoria Mayer (The Last Tour), Stefan Kampwirth (TV series Darkness), Denis Moscitto (At the Limit) and Frederic Lau (Beloved).
So Close to the Horizon was the first collaboration between PANTALEON Films (Christine Loebbert and Dan Maag), STUDIOCANAL Film (Isabel Hund and Kalle Fritz) and SevenPictures Film (Verena Schilling and Stefan Goertner) with the support of Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern and the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA). The film was filmed in North Rhine-Westphalia, Munich and Portugal. STUDIOCANAL is responsible for international distribution.
So Close to the Horizon was published in March 2016 by FeuerWerke Verlag and in August 2016 by Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag. The writer Jessica Koch frankly describes events from her own past, not shy about taboo topics. Also published were the second ("So close to the abyss") and third ("So close to the ocean") parts of the trilogy of Jessica Koch under the general title "Danny".
The e-book goes offline
Success of the original
Jessica Koch could not even dream that her debut novel "So Close to the Horizon" would become a bestseller and gain so many fans. Moreover, according to Koch herself, she never intended to become a writer. In 2016, the e-book was published by the FeuerWerke Verlag portal, and to date the novel has been read by more than half a million people. The rights were sold not only for the film adaptation, but also for the release of the audiobook. More than 2,400 fan reviews have been posted on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.7 stars.
For a long time, the question of whether the novel was destined to be published in principle remained open:
- Koch finished the novel more than ten years ago, but was not sure if she wanted to publish it. However, her fears were not justified - after publication, the book immediately hit the bestseller list.
- So Close To The Horizon was released on March 15, 2016, and sold nearly 100,000 copies ten weeks later.
- For several weeks, the novel remained at the top of Amazon in popularity, with more than 200,000 copies of the book sold in the first year after publication. In addition, the novel topped the Bild bestseller chart.
In So Close To The Horizon, Jessica Koch tells not only the touching love story of the two main characters - Jessica and Danny, but also the story of her own youth.
The horizon in sight
Given the unexpected and impressive success of Jessica Koch's book, there is no doubt that the film adaptation will not keep you waiting. The film rights were purchased by Studiocanal Film and Pantaleon Films, and the film was their debut collaboration. According to Isabel Hund, co-producer of the film from Studiocanal, the plot is interesting because it combines melodrama and a story based on real events.
Hund has long dreamed of filming a worthwhile melodrama with Pantaleon Films producer Christina Loebbert, an extremely successful producer from Matthias Schweighöfer and Dan Maag, who has released hits such as Fatherhood (2016) and 100 Things and Nothing Too Much (2018). “We were looking for a project that we could work on together,” says Christina Loebbert. “We worked very successfully on the film“ My Robot Friend ”and tried to return to fruitful cooperation as soon as possible. Isabelle sent me a novel that Studiocanal was already working on, and I knew right away that it was the perfect material for a film adaptation. The fact that the plot is based on real events made the story even more compelling. Pantaleon Films got into the fight for the film rights, and Jessica Koch ended up choosing our company. ”
"" So Close to the Horizon "is an exceptional story of great love faced with overwhelming circumstances, says the producer. - The drama of the protagonist became not only an unusual plot twist, but also strengthened the story, made it more ambitious. I am convinced that we are not the only ones who like such stories, they are also in demand among ordinary viewers. The success of such films as "Me Before You" and "The Fault in Our Stars" in the international box office is a clear confirmation of this. Both films are based on novels as promising as Jessica's book. "So Close to the Horizon" also has great potential in wide distribution. "
Another clear advantage of the book So Close to the Horizon is the amazing, almost dreamlike setting, as if created for the big screen and immersing viewers in Jessica's world. This is not a modern comedy melodrama in which the main character or heroine finds a girl or a boy, and in the film's finale it is revealed whether they will be together. In contrast, So Close to the Horizon offers a different development. “Our story is about Jessica's most important decision to stay with Danny no matter what,” explains Loebbert. - There is a very important leitmotif in the story:
"Even if love is not long, it is worth fighting for."
What to expect from a movie
Isabel Hund and Christina Loebbert did not want to forcibly squeeze tears out of the audience, because television is already rich in such films. “We wanted to convey the full range of emotions of the protagonists without slipping into kitsch,” explains Loebbert. “Taking that as a starting point, we started looking for a suitable writer, and then a director.” Writer Arian Schroeder and director Tim Trachte have made the best creative duo imaginable. Initially, it was clear to everyone that a 500-page novel would be impossible to fit into a film.
“We needed to find the heart of the story,” continues Loebbert. - Therefore, it was extremely important to highlight the main thing in the book from the very beginning. The author of the book gave us great freedom of action, moreover, if necessary, we could always call Jessica and ask her advice. It helped a lot in my work. "
However, Loebbert was equally important to preserve the director's identity. “Tim Trachte and I worked out a general concept of work, after which he got almost complete right to independently make intermediate decisions,” explains the producer. "I have infinite trust in Tim and have never been disappointed, so I did my best to help him tell the story the way he saw it." However, the first cornerstone in the work on the future film was laid by the screenwriter Arian Schroeder.
Adaptation of the novel
Arian Schroeder has done an excellent job of adapting the book for a wide audience. “She is not afraid to take risks and work with incredibly emotional material, maintaining a delicate balance so that there is no manipulation and kitsch in the script,” says Loebbert. With her screenplay for The Last Tour, Schroeder has already proven that she can handle this kind of text. It harmoniously combined authenticity and emotionality. “Working with her was based on mutual respect, trust and openness, not to mention the fact that interacting with Arian is a lot of fun,” continues the producer. "They were able to find the right balance between drama and love story, which is what we, in fact, aspired to from the very beginning." The filmmakers understood the importance of individualizing characters: despite the fact that Danny also changes dramatically as the plot progresses, Jessica remains the protagonist.
“This is her story,” says Loebbert. - We talk about her experiences, she is constantly in focus. It was very important for us to emphasize this. "
Arian Schroeder recalls how work on the script began: “I had never heard of Jessica Koch's novel before, but I only read it when I was contacted by Isabelle Hund and Christina Loebbert. I confess that the book made an indelible impression on me, especially the fact that the plot is based on real events. I was amazed to the core. " The screenwriter admits that she herself is very fond of melodrama. The bizarrely intertwined fates of the two main characters had a special effect on her.
“I was struck by Jessica's admission that her love for Danny is growing stronger every day, that she wants to stay with him, no matter what,” says Schroeder. It was very important for both the writer and the producers to maintain the inspiring positivity of the material without neglecting the seriousness inherent in the book. The film was supposed to turn out to be life-affirming, filled with the power of love. “Love so alien to convention reveals something wonderful and positive to the reader,” says Schroeder. “I think our heroes loved each other so much, because they were not afraid to look fate in the eye and were ready to accept all possible consequences.”
Schroeder admits that the hardest part was keeping the emotional balance in the script. In her opinion, the characters demanded from her much more organization and responsibility than any fictional plot, since this story is based on the fate of real people. Schroeder never forgot that for the writer this is an autobiographical story. At the same time, the screenwriter tried to convey her vision of what was happening, if it was possible.
The main character of the story, Jessica, is a young girl from a wealthy family. In fact, her life has come to a time when she has the right to choose her future path. She is just beginning to build a career in her parents' family business. Unlike many of her friends who move to Berlin, Jessica decides to stay at home for now.
“She has no clear plans for the future,” says Schroeder. According to the plot of the film, Jessica and Danny almost immediately fall in love with each other. At the same time, Danny has a rather difficult past. “He adheres to an orderly, disciplined lifestyle,” says Schroeder. "It shows in everything, including his modeling career and his passion for kickboxing."
Getting acquainted, young people come face to face with their fears and weaknesses. For him, it is a need to open up emotionally, for her - to stay close to him and find inner strength in herself.
Another character that constantly appears in the history of Jessica and Danny is Tina, Danny's best friend, who was written in the same family as the young man. At first, she treats Jessica with distrust and even a certain hostility. “She is afraid that Danny will suffer when she loses her lover,” explains Schroeder. However, Jessica still manages to win over Tina, and soon they become friends.
Jessica paves the way to Danny's heart with sincerity, lightness and humor. And Danny finally gives up. “This is the strength of our history,” says Schroeder.
Find out interesting facts about the film "So Close to the Horizon" due to release in Russia in 2020; watch the trailer and footage from the set with talented actors, new faces of youth cinema.
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