Maya's Kontra - A Gripping Comedy About Courage, Values, and Humanity

23-year-old Maya has big plans: newly naturalized, highly motivated, and a member of a liberal-progressive party, she wants to make it in politics. But nobody told her that patience matters more than ideals, that you need a healthy dose of ruthlessness, and above all, rhetorical brilliance. The ability to raise her voice without self-doubt - that's something she still has to develop.

This shortcoming seems to irritate Dr. Christian Stahl, a political heavyweight of the opposing party. He becomes aggressive toward Maya - and it all gets filmed and goes viral online. Stahl ends up in the modern pillory. To limit the damage and generate positive headlines, his party leadership forces Stahl to work as a rhetoric and PR coach for Maya. Maya herself isn't thrilled either - she fears being used as a political poster child for the wrong people.

But to both their surprise, initial hostility blossoms into a wonderfully quirky relationship, somewhere between provocation, trauma processing, and Schopenhauer. Maya proves herself not just a diligent student, but an exceptional talent.

On her path strewn with intrigue, failed speeches, and setbacks, Maya has loyal companions: there's Leonard, a Swiss-born new citizen with a passion for rap and subculture. And there's her father, a Syrian intellectual. He once saved Maya by bringing her to safety - to a country where he himself increasingly feels like a stranger and which he will soon leave. Maya learns that raising your voice takes more than a microphone and a party membership card. In the end, both Maya and Dr. Stahl lose the political stage - but not their courage. The former "mortal enemies" launch a podcast together - probably the most absurd alliance since talk shows began.

A delightful modern comedy - sometimes quirky, sometimes biting, but always profound and moving.