Free at Heart
Sebastian's (16) sheltered small-town life changes suddenly when his family takes in 15-year-old Kolja, supposedly the son of his father's recently deceased girlfriend. In addition to his little sister, another teenager now lives with them. Although the two boys are strangers to each other at first, they begin to open up to each other more and more and discover that they are biological brothers. The relationship of trust with his parents breaks down and when Sebastian and Kolja become closer than they expected, Sebastian's life is suddenly turned upside down, as he has found not only a soul mate in his new brother, but also a real, first love. Overwhelmed by their feelings, the two hide their relationship, but when the secret, incestuous relationship is discovered, the family breaks out of the social structure of the small town and comes into conflict with societal norms. Everything that follows is a rollercoaster of emotions.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
15 people
Max Hegewald Director · Marius von Felbert Cinematographer Thora Geißler Costume designer
First release September 25, 2025 · Produced in Germany · Production Bremedia Produktion, SR
Production
Junifilm
Production
Bremedia Produktion
Production
SR
Production
Salzgeber & Co. Medien
Production
Germany
Produced in
Blackbird
Working title
Languages
Original language
German
Spoken on screen
German
Release dates
Norway · September 25, 2025
Premiere · Oslo Fusion International Film Festival
Germany · October 29, 2026
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Germany
October 24, 2025 · Premiere · Hof International Film Festival
Taiwan
October 10, 2026 · Premiere · Kaohsiung Film Festival
More from Max Hegewald
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked Free at Heart
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.