Leroy

Leroy is seventeen years old, he plays the cello, tutors his classmates after school, he is shy, and what more – he is black. He lives in Berlin’s multicultural quarter Schöneberg with his white mother and black father. In this environment he has never encountered racism; however this changes when the beautiful blond Eva falls in love with him. Leroy is also deeply in love with her, but – Eva lives on the outskirts of Berlin, her father is an active member of a radical right-wing political party, and her violent brothers are inveterate Neo-Nazis. Eva’s youngest brother announces Leroy’s first visit in their house with: “Dad, there’s a nigger at the door.”

Because of the evident rejection by Eva’s family, for the first time in his life Leroy becomes interested in the black people’s human rights movement, in their music and ideas, and starts to think about his own identity. Together with Eva and their friends they finally stand up to the dull right-wing power.

Armin Völckers dared to portray the issue of racism in the genre of a teenage comedy with slightly over-the-top characters, cool music, and tongue-in-cheek dialogues.