In the mid-1960s, Claire, a young woman in her early 20s, is sent by her parents from the Walloon province to economically booming Cologne to learn German better and attend a business school. She finds lodging with Hans, a philosophy doctoral student who travels a lot and therefore sublets his flat.
Claire soon makes the acquaintance of her neighbour, the open-hearted Mathilda, who is a dressmaker. Mathilda speaks French very well because she admires the French fashion world and dreams of going to Paris. She, unlike Claire, dresses fashionably and a little ahead of her time. Although she is still quite young, she confidently pursues her goals. The two women become friends and Mathilda encourages Claire, who enjoys the closeness and attention of her new friend, to perhaps resume her former dream of becoming a writer.
After an evening with Mathilda and her friends, Claire realises that she feels more than friendship for Mathilda...

Unusual for a short film, the director and screenwriter of “Oh Claire!” are not the same person. In fact, I am only responsible for directing the film.

Screenwriter, producer and leading actress Margaux Tiltmann had been looking for a director for her ambitious short film project via an advertisement that a friend of mine had brought to my attention. I contacted Margaux and we quickly got on well, were on the same wavelength as far as the film was concerned. She was really convinced that I was the right man for the job by my first film “Paris, 1969”, which, as the title suggests, is also set in the 1960s like “Oh Claire!” So I was already familiar with the aesthetic and economic challenges of making a small-budget historical film.

Margaux agreed with my suggestions to shoot the film in black and white (when writing the script she had already imagined a black and white film) and in the aspect ratio 4:3. This was to make the 1960s seem more credible. Cinematographer Theo Weingarten skilfully realised the ideas.

The very effective costume design by Flavia Stein and Vanessa Wujanz, as well as the atmospheric production design by Romina Hirschmann, contribute greatly to the general credibility of the era portrayed.

It was an enriching and good experience for me to realise another author's script. I would like to do this more often in the future.