Julia and Tobias seem to be the perfect couple. But everything changes with the slap their daughter receives at school. Marielle suddenly develops a telepathic sense that enables her to see and hear everything her parents do. The couple soon realise that the lies they have been telling each other can no longer be hidden from Marielle. When their most uncomfortable secrets are exposed, Julia and Tobias engage in a manipulative game that leads to increasingly awkward situations which escalate the conflict and the consequences.
“When I started writing the film, I had zero kids. Now, I have two, so it takes longer to make a film! But in writing I leaned more and more towards the parents’ perspective. In further developing it, I think I brought in some fears that were new to me. For example, how will my children see me? Will they like me as a person? These are the questions that can drive you a bit crazy, but they became central to the script. Plus, it felt more interesting to leave out Marielle’s perspective and have her be this black box the parents have to decipher.” (Frédéric Hambalek)
Frédéric Hambalek
Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1986. Hambalek studied film at the University of Mainz and won a scholarship to attend the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont, USA. While studying, he made several short films. In 2020, his no-budget feature film Model Olimpia premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Festival. What Marielle Knows is his second feature film.