Facades

In her documentary FASSADEN (Facades), director Alina Cyranek sheds light on the realities faced by women in abusive relationships, the lasting impact of violence on their lives, and the challenges of finding safety and support. With a calm and unsensational approach, the film serves first and foremost as an act of public education. While statistics on domestic violence are widely known, hearing what survivors endure—not only from those around them, but also from indifferent institutions, law enforcement, and the legal system—reveals the depth and complexity of the problem.

The film unfolds across three visual layers. In a traditional documentary framework, a police officer, physician, attorney, social worker, and shelter advocate offer clear and thoughtful insights into the power dynamics and structures that sustain abusive relationships. Interwoven with these interviews are images of residential spaces—suburban homes, apartment buildings, and neighborhoods—that suggest the everyday settings in which violence often remains hidden.

A third layer follows a woman and a man, portrayed by a dancer and a dancer, first beneath a white cloth, like a cocoon from which hidden truths slowly emerge, and later against a black background. These poetic and highly physical sequences create space for the complexity and contradictions of intimate relationships, gradually revealing the fractures beneath the surface.

Narrated by Sandra Hüller, the film tells the story of a woman who escapes a long-term abusive relationship. Drawn from four real-life testimonies, her story also exposes a political and social system that too often looks away. FASSADEN examines the power structures hidden behind appearances and questions how inadequately the state protects women from violence.