Night cap with Die Tinte Trocknet Nicht [The Ink doesn’t Dry]

Interview with Felix Herrmann, director of Die Tinte Trocknet Nicht (The Ink doesn’t Dry)

Can you tell us more about the title and the proverb at the beginning of the film?
The proverb at the beginning “the pens have been lifted, the ink has dried” refers to the idea of fate, that the story of each one of us is already written. The title “The Ink doesn’t Dry” is a contradiction which can be understood that everything is fluid. I like both ideas, fate can also have something of a liberation, something that removes the pressure from us to be responsible for everything. But it’s ambiguous and that’s what I like the most.

How did you come up with the idea of the relationship between the two women? Are they based on people you know?
It’s a mix. I have a friend who is a little bit like them. She is religious and modern at the same time, which was never a contradiction, but people see it like that, and for that reason you have to be creative. And then I did a lot of research and met other Muslim women. Also, both actresses, Süheyla and Amelle, contributed with their own experiences to the characters. And then it’s based also on my experience of very close friendships, which I had once or twice in my life, where you share a common idea of life.

How did you come up with the rap song?
That’s completely Amelle Schwerk’s, the actress’s, idea. She said to me that she would write a rap in the style of Kate Tempest. I said, okay.  And she did it in a few days during the shooting. I was surprised how good it was. And also, it’s interesting. It’s like her character takes the role of the narrator and she is retelling the story in her own words.

Tell us more about your stylistic choices: black and white, cropped shots, etc…
Black and white was an idea, because the film works really much with contrasts. It’s somehow the inner idea of each scene. The different frame sizes, the cropped shots were born because the way we tell the story is very elliptic, and fragmented in a way, so we decided to give it also a fragmented surface.

What would you like the audience to take from it?
My wish is to show that these women have a completely creative way of thinking and dealing with situations. And that contradictions are not a problem but can be inspiring.

Are there any works of art or films that have inspired you?
Of course, Pasolini and Fassbinder. And there was a less intellectual role model for the friendship, the Naples Saga of Elena Ferrante.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
For sure. The nature of short film is to experiment somehow. But I’m always super surprised when I see other short films. They are all so different it’s wonderful.

Die Tinte Trocknet Nicht (The Ink doesn’t Dry) is part of International Competition I14.