Eva Trobisch’s Ivo approaches assisted dying with courage and without sensationalism. The drama has also received festival recognition, including the Heiner Carow Prize and the award for best film at the 37th Bolzano Film Festival.
Story and moral questions
Ivo is a palliative-care nurse travelling between patients’ homes each day. Her car has become a personal space where she works, eats and dreams. At home, her teenage daughter has learned to be independent. The story centres on Ivo’s terminally ill friend and patient Solveigh and Solveigh’s husband Franz. When Solveigh asks Ivo to help her die, the request places the nurse in a moral dilemma.
Minna Wündrich and the ensemble
Minna Wündrich is the heart of the film. Her deeply moving performance balances an empathetic nurse’s professionalism with personal chaos. She makes the different sides of Ivo convincing, including her relationship with Franz. Pia Hierzegger as Solveigh and Lukas Turtur as Franz complete the ensemble beautifully. Hierzegger’s seemingly effortless performance and courage give the film particular dignity and depth.
Trobisch’s direction
Trobisch again shows her ability to tell thoughtful stories built around difficult moral questions. Her direction is calm but intense, allowing us to enter the characters’ world. The precise dialogue often feels disarmingly truthful, keeping the film alive and approachable despite its difficult subject.
Campean’s photography
Adrian Campean’s photography is another highlight. Visual metaphors and calm, powerful images express Ivo’s emotional balancing act. Locations ranging from building sites and drive-ins to airports suggest the simultaneous presence of life and death. The use of old 16mm lenses on a digital camera gives the images a lively, unpredictable texture suited to the story.
Research and production
The film is a Studio Zentral and Network Movie production, made with Trimafilm and ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel, supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and distributed in Germany by Piffl Medien. Extensive research and collaboration with palliative-care professionals contribute to its authenticity and depth.
Verdict
Ivo is an outstanding film about assisted dying, friendship and moral responsibility. In her second feature, Eva Trobisch approaches death honestly and respectfully, creating a work that is moving and thoughtful. The excellent performances, especially Wündrich’s, and Campean’s striking photography make this a film that stays in the memory.