"Growing old in style - that's how it should be"

07.02.2019 | Fatih Akin @Berlinale

Fatih Akin with his leading actor Jonas Dassler "before the transformation"

15 years after his Golden Bear for "Against the Wall", Fatih Akin is once again competing in the Berlinale this year - but in a different way than you might think: With "The Golden Glove", Hamburg's cult director is sending a genuine horror film into the race. We spoke to Akin about his terrific lead actor Jonas Dassler, the Reeperbahn through the ages and the horror genre itself.

At 23, Jonas Dassler is actually far too young for the role of Honka and is also very good-looking. Bad basic prerequisites for the role of the womaniser. Why did you choose him anyway?: Jonas Dassler is the kind of outstanding actor that only comes along every few years. I definitely want to work with someone like that because the work becomes a pleasure. Also, any actor would have had to go through a lot of make-up because my vision of Honka is extremely ugly. Like Anthony Quinn in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". So I was also able to cast a young actor. And as Jonas Dassler was so good in the casting, I was happy to take a chance on him. It was worth it.

Jonas Dassler is almost unrecognisable in his mask

What attracted you to the horror film genre and what horror film elements does the film play with?: Horror is currently the only genre that is doing consistently well in the cinema. That alone makes it appealing to me to study the genre. I have great admiration for NewLine and Blumhouse. And Honka is considered a terrifying figure in Hamburg, a monster - so it made sense to work with horror elements. The role models were films like "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (John McNaughton), "Freaks" (Todd Browning), "Frankenstein" (James Whale), but also "Funny Games" (Michael Haneke) and "Tore tanzt" by Katrin Gebbe, which I categorise in this genre because it made me feel very uneasy when I watched it.

How did you manage to bring Hamburg and especially the Reeperbahn of the 70s to life?: This is above all the achievement of my production designer Tamo Kunz and my costume designer Katrin Aschendorf.

What did you particularly like about the novel by Heinz Strunk? Because the book is really tough stuff!: I like the book above all because it reminds me of Charles Bukowski, who I've always wanted to make into a film. However, Strunk's book is closer to me because it takes place in Hamburg-Altona, where I was born. And because it's also a serial killer story, which is a classic element of popular culture. I was also interested in realising the harshness visually. It requires a lot of technology, which always interests me.

Set visit from the Golden Glove last year including Heinz Strunk (2nd from left)

Would you have liked to have walked the Reeperbahn yourself in the 70s or do you like it the way it is today?: I'd need a time machine for that. And if I had one, I'd probably fly into the future to see what was going on. But I thought the clothes in the 70s were sexier than the crap today. The cars were nicer too. You wonder what drugs the car designers of today are taking.

The pub "Zum Goldenen Handschuh" is still located on Hamburger Berg. What are your favourite pubs in Hamburg at the moment?: Lunacy, glove, Honk Kong.

Always something going on in the Golden Glove - Honka looks for his victims here

"The Golden Glove" is celebrating its premiere in the Berlinale Competition 15 years after "Against the Wall". What would you have said to someone in 2004 if they had told you that you would be competing with a horror film in 15 years' time?: Grow old in style. That's how it should be.

Credits: Title: bombero int./Warner Bros./Boris Laewen All other photos: bombero int./Warner Bros./Gordon Timpen