Ulli is a seventeen-year-old punk from Vienna. It’s the summer of 1984 and she decides to go to Italy with a friend. Their journey through Italy, down south to Palermo, is the discovery of youthful independence, but also and above all the discovery of vulnerability and exploitation by men, the challenges faced by young women exploring the world on their own. The narrative is raw and unfiltered. It is a poignant reflection on personal transformation and the culture and dangers of the 1980s in southern Italy, but also on friendship, betrayal and revenge. Being about Ulli’s age, I found her story courageous and maddening. I would never have dared.
“Edi is with Andreas, I’ve got the sleeping bag for myself. At last, I’ve got room to stretch out. A clear cool breeze is wafting through the park. Leaves are rustling. The wide space around me expands inside me into infinity. I snuggle in my nest and I’m happy.”
Original title : Heute ist der letzte Tag vom Rest deines Lebens
Translated from German