The Straw That Broke (2021)
"The Straw That Broke" is a surrealist, micro-budget meta-fiction feature blending retro-futuristic aesthetics with philosophy to explore the boundaries between reality and the digital realm. "The virtual is viral," announces Clea Bardan, editor at DeBase SF, to Claudia Weiss, her overworked author of futuristic pulp fiction. Clea demands an impossible task: write five volumes within 31 hours. Claudia's journey spans from Stuttgart to Nueva York, a Harkonnen spaceship, and a water-based planet holding the secret to saving the multiverse from the O-Cloud—a virus destroying sentient life at its ontological core. But how much of this reality is authentic, and can a talking mouse from Claudia's own stories save the multiverse? Using diverse cinematic devices, the film tackles deep metaphysical questions while remaining a poignant story about loss, love, and hope for us all.
Director:
Valentin Hennig
Writer:
Tom Whalen
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Robert Besta as Roithammer |
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Manuel Harder as Markus |
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Santiago Ziesmer as Encyclopedia Mouse |
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Claudia Gallatz as Claudia Weiss |
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Manja Kuhl as Clea Bardan |
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Konrad Lucas as Flint McCrae |
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Gabrielle Zimmermann as Dr. Zimmermann |
| Directing | Valentin Hennig | Director |
| Production | Valentin Hennig | Producer |
| Writing | Tom Whalen | Screenplay |
| Production | Tom Whalen | Producer |
| Crew | Valentin Hennig | Cinematography |
| Sound | Vincent Wikström | Music |
| Sound | Leo Frick | Music |
| Visual Effects | Oleg Kauz | Animation |
| Visual Effects | Thomas Dawidoski | Matte Painter |
| Visual Effects | Tao Kan Xu | Animation |
| Editing | Valentin Hennig | Editor |
| Sound | Rosa Grünwald | Sound |
| Sound | Vincent Wisktröm | Sound |
| Costume & Make-Up | Melanie Jatzkowski | Makeup Artist |
