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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Ja nuar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an
ihrem ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.

Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific
theme in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture
in Aachen and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint
motion picture “Oi! Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

An Essay by Dominik Reding
W illy Millowitsch Platz does not rank among the famous sights in Cologne. An become an adult. He listened to punk, we to new wave music; he ordered his clothes
from the USA, we bought at C&A at summer sales; he smoked pot, we drank beer.
oblique rectangle at the periphery of the city centre surrounded by uniform
reconstructed buildings and architecture in the style of the 80s with small copper And he threw parties. Real parties, loud, lasting, excessive. And he invited me to
roofs and reflecting glass. Squeezed in among the cobblestones were a tree, a car them. Then he showed me tricks on the skateboard and, during a more quiet
park entrance, a sausage stand and the eponymous folk-theatre actor as a hefty moment, drawings and self-made furniture. After school, he wanted to study architec-
bronze sculpture on a bronze park bench. Marie-Claire, the young assistant from the ture. Being able to design and build something that lasted, that would be the greatest,
film distributor, accompanied me to the meeting. Her French accent and her friendly he said. And grabbed his skateboard and raced down the ramp he had constructed
demeanour made the meeting bearable while the distributor only wanted to rapidly himself. Latin is a beautiful language, but does one have to master it? For studying
bamboozle us with a lousy contract. First dinner near the cathedral, then to the office medicine or law maybe, or if one wants to read Cicero in the original, but not for
for the signatures. In between, Millowitsch Platz. Sleet made us walk fast. And then I being young, being happy, being free? A Latin teacher, of course, will have a different
suddenly stood still, despite the time pressure and the rain. “Love your city”. A lumi- point of view. And Mr Kötter had a different point of view. His teaching was strict.
nous lettering in red above a white pavilion. There only points for mistakes. Cases, genders,
Right in the middle of the square. Thin white numbers, three minus points for every non-
steel supports for a thin, white, flat roof. Below translated word. 30 minus points resulted in
it a white counter and three white, brightly illu- the grade “inadequate”. He returned the tests
minated cabinets. A strange construction, cool, according to grades. The “ones” first, the
sober and yet almost classic with the supports “sixes” last. Once the “threes” were handed
and its symmetry. A kind of mini-Parthenon in back, there was unrest in the classroom, after
Millowitsch Platz. One could also buy some- the “fours” it became quiet and after the
thing there. Underpants and chocolate and “fives”, bitter sighing was heard and occasional
snow globes. “Who designed this?” I asked the weeping. With a minimal, disdainful gesture,
seller of the snow globes. “A architectural office Mr Kötter put the test down on Aaron’s desk. Of
in Cologne”, she answered, “Ball... ahem, course, Aaron knew how he had been graded.
Bull..., or...” “Could it be BeL? Anne-Julchen But Aaron didn’t sigh, swear, weep, he smiled.
Bernhardt and Jörg Leeser?” I said. She nodded. Again this youthful-cocky, somewhat mocking
The distributor’s assistant looked at me, was smile. “The next test will be your last chance”,
the first to notice it. “Everything alright?” “Yes, Mr Kötter admonished him. Everybody knew
of course”, I lied. “You look so different, some- that there was no chance at all. And since
how exhausted or sad”. “No, far from it, every- Aaron had already once repeated a year in
thing’s fine.” I lied again. As to the sadness, I Cologne, after the next test the destiny Mr
could have explained it to her, the reason for it. Foto: Benjamin Reding Kötter had longed for was be reached. Aaron
But it was too long ago, too complicated, and I got a “six” in Latin, had to leave the grammar
didn’t say anything: The drama had started after school and lost any chance of passing his A-lev-
the school holidays, on a sunny Monday morning in September. The principal himself els and starting his beloved studies of architecture.
came into our classroom, next to him a tall, thin guy who, unlike us, looked already Upon request of the female proprietor, he cut his hair short, put on a suit and started
very grown-up. Hair dyed blond, clothes one could not even buy in my home town training as a retail salesman in a store for designer furniture. Aaron was no longer
and a skateboard under his arm. “This is Aaron from Cologne; he will now spend the smoking pot. He took something else. Two years later, he was dead – a heroin over-
rest of the school year with you.” Then, as if the whole affair was a nuisance for him, dose. My life went on; I passed my A-levels and began studying, architecture in
the principal left the classroom without saying goodbye. Our new classmate walked Aachen. And was astonished: To the first lecture, Aaron appeared. Hair dyed blond,
to a free seat deliberately slowly. “Salve! And I am Mr Kötter, the Latin teacher”, Mr clothes from the USA and a skateboard under his arm. But that couldn’t really be pos-
Kötter said. But the newcomer didn’t even turn to Mr Kötter. He just pulled a can of sible. It wasn’t, either. The fellow student’s name was Jörg Leeser. Even the accent
Cola out of his backpack and opened it with a hiss. “Here we eat and drink during was right. Rhinelandish. Jörg came from near Düsseldorf. At one time, they could even
the break. Not while in class.” The new arrival didn’t say anything, leaned back and have met. During a surfing holiday in Biarritz. They were both there during the same
pushed the can two centimetres away with his fingertips, then he gave a smile, wide summer. But they didn’t meet. Yet while studying, they would have met. Quite defi-
and mocking. “If you are just as quick on the uptake when learning Latin, we will get nitely. After all, they both like strict, cool, sober architecture.
on fabulously.” Mr Kötter’s voice shook, the hostility was established. Aaron had
been training how to skate on the cathedral square in Cologne, and also how to We show the Pavilion “Love your City” by BeL in the Forum section on page 014.

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