Two mothers and best friends are stuck in a bank for 300 euros and are mistaken for bank robbers. The police are hot on their heels and it is only thanks to their solidarity and a good dose of chaos that they manage to get out of their predicament.
NINA suffers at the hands of her husband MARC, a bank employee who cultivates an outward image of sincerity but physically and emotionally abuses Nina. Their daughter MAYA appears to be a happy girl, but she knows more than Nina suspects.
Single, curvy ANGIE is Nina’s best friend. She works as a cashier at TAREK’s Egyptian supermarket. When her teenage daughter RAHEL needs 300 euros for a school trip, Angie doesn’t know where to get the money from. She asks Tarek first and then Nina. Neither of them can help her, which hurts Angie, especially in Nina’s case. What she doesn’t know is that Nina has been quietly saving money for some time in order to secretly leave Marc.
By chance Marc discovers her savings and takes them. In her desperation, Angie asks Marc for a small loan from the savings bank.
When Marc refuses the loan, the situation quickly escalates, which is also due to Angie’s temperament. In addition, Rahel, who accompanied her mother to the bank, has a weapon in her bag. It belongs to
her boyfriend Friedrich, a young police officer. It is his father’s pistol, which now indirectly finds its way into Angie’s hands. The situation causes panic in the bank. Rahel manages to leave the bank unnoticed and to inform Nina. Nina is torn between helping her best friend and secretly fleeing the city with her daughter. She makes a de- cision. She enters the bank, followed by her daughter. Nina tries to persuade Angie to leave the bank with her. But a passerby has already raised the alarm. Police arrive on the scene, including Rahel’s boyfriend. In her panic, Angie tries to disable the security cameras by shooting at them.
POLICE CHIEF STEIN and DETECTIVE RADTKE arrive at the scene. Detective Radtke tries to take control of the alleged bank robbery, but his own divorce only complicates the situation. Nina senses that the situation is about to escalate and takes the lead. Meanwhile, Angie’s impulsive behavior wins the sympathy of the hos- tages, who develop an unexpected sense of community. In this relaxed atmosphere, Nina’s deep wounds and her battered body come to light and are given a name – BILLIE. Nina realizes that she and her daughter are in mortal danger. She risks her life for Maya. A shot is fired. Nina is ready to go to extremes.
Sheri Hagen s a German director, screenwriter and actress from Berlin. Born in Lagos/Nigeria and raised in Hamburg, Sheri Hagen completed her training at the Hamburg "Stage School of Dance and Drama" and at the "Studio Theater an der Wien" in Austria. In addition to numerous works for film and television (including 'Das Leben der Anderen', 'Baal', 'Tatort', 'Sperling', 'On The Inside'), she has acted in various theater productions.
She first attracted attention as a screenwriter and director in 2007 with the short film STELLA UND DIE STÖRCHE/STELLA AND THE STORKS. The children's short film screened successfully at international festivals (including the mo&friese KinderKurzfilmFestival Hamburg, Chicago Int. Children's Film Festival).
In 2012, the 23rd International Film Festival Emden-Norderney awarded Sheri Hagen the special prize A Desk by the Sea for her debut feature film AUF DEN ZWEITEN BLICK/AT SECOND GLANCE. In 2013, AUF DEN ZWEITEN BLICK/AT SECOND GLANCE won the 4th Kirchen Filmfestival Recklinghausen. In the fall of 2013, Barnsteiner-Film released the feature film in German cinemas.
In 2015, Sheri Hagen founded the production company Equality Film GmbH. Since then, the production company has pursued the goal of telling films with relevant and powerful stories that show a multi-layered diverse society and highlights underrepresented voices. In her feature film FENSTER BLAU/ BLUE WINDOW (2016), Sheri Hagen adapted the play Muttermale Fenster Blau by author Sasha Marianna Salzmann.
In 2023, she and her company Equality Film were honored as Cultural and Creative Pilots by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
In 2024, Sheri Hagen won the DIGITALE FEMALE LEADER EXCHANGE AWARD for her work with Equality Film
World Premiere Filmfest Hamburg, Germany, 2025
Filmfestival FrauenWelten Berlin , Terres des Femmes, Germany, 2025
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Award, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2026
Pan African Film Festival, LA, USA, 2026
Pan African Film Festival - Best Feature Narrative
Actor - Ruby Commey
Actor - Thelma Buabeng
Actor - Timo Jacobs
