Morris from America

Morris (Markees Christmas) from the U.S. is overweight, Black—and he dreams of a career in hip-hop. Each of these traits makes him stand out in his hometown of Heidelberg. The 13-year-old lives there with his father, Curtis (Craig Robinson), who works on the coaching staff of the local professional soccer club. His mother died not too long ago. Morris and Curtis are more like friends than they are in a typical father-son relationship. Their shared love of hip-hop binds them together. Otherwise, Morris’s only contact in Heidelberg is Inka (Carla Juri), his private German tutor. She sends the lonely boy to the local youth center, where he promptly falls for Katrin (Lina Keller). Katrin is 15 years old, rebellious, and can’t wait to finally escape the petty-bourgeois atmosphere of Heidelberg. Unlike everyone else, who rejects and teases Morris, Katrin finds him somehow interesting. As she draws him deeper and deeper into a more adult world full of love, sex, and drugs, Curtis strives to teach his son to take more responsibility for himself so that he can stay true to who he is... “Morris from America” tells a “fish-out-of-water” story, but first and foremost, it’s about love. It’s about standing up for yourself and discovering your own potential. The focus is on what brings us closer together—not what divides us—although the film doesn’t shy away from addressing racism, bullying, and xenophobia. With this successful narrative formula, director Chad Hartigan’s coming-of-age film has earned numerous nominations and awards—including at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. And the FBW’s rationale for awarding the “particularly valuable” rating confirms this: “The jury loved how director Chad Hartigan develops his main character, Morris, through the people with whom he spends his time. (...) MORRIS FROM AMERICA stays very close to the characters and lets its audience share in little Morris’s joys and sorrows.” The jury was also pleasantly surprised by the actors’ performances. However, they rated the performance of Markees Christmas, who plays Morris, as truly outstanding. In his first film role, he appears so free and at ease that the jury wanted to follow him from the very first second.”