System Crasher

Nine-year-old Benni (Helena Zengel) is a seemingly unmanageable girl who is constantly at odds with the world around her. Her unpredictable behaviour means she is shunted from one care home to the next, whilst social workers desperately try to find a solution. If you look beyond the surface, you sense that behind the anger and aggression lies, above all, a child who longs for safety, love and a home.

With SYSTEM CRASHER, director Nora Fingscheidt (THE OUTRUN) delivers a gripping and uncompromising feature-length debut about a child who is at risk of falling through the cracks of the care system. The film poses critical questions about trauma, resilience and the limits of social services, but it is above all the dynamic cinematography and Helena Zengel’s impressive performance as Benni that have earned the film international acclaim. SYSTEM CRASHER won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

This Girls on Film screening was selected by the directing duo Flo Van Deuren and Kato De Boeck, creators of the VRT MAX series Roomies. Ahead of the film, they will be in conversation with Girls on Film about mental health issues amongst young people and young adults, and about how we, as a society, deal with individuals or problems that do not fit within traditional frameworks.

Girls on Film is a feminist film collective that aims to provide a broader platform for cinema by and about women. Every month, they screen curated films at De Cinema that spotlight women’s experiences and contributions to cinema (and its history). In Girls on Film: De Podcast, they explore the themes raised and the social relevance of the films in greater depth with a guest speaker.