Spiele Leben

Austria, Switzerland

Synopsis

Gambling addict and slacker Kurt finds a crazy but absolutely infallible way to land in a major crisis. His house of cards collapses when he makes the encounter of his life, which leads to the gamble of his life – and forces him to gamble with his life. He falls victim to the delusion of letting dice dictate his fate. What he thinks will rescue him from the narrowness of his fate turns out to be a tyrant that drives him to the edge of his being.

Director's Statement

YOU BET YOUR LIFE is about addiction to life. But what are people really looking for in their lives?
Losers are out – only winners bring in the cash. I wanted to show an alternative world in which antiheroes no longer just try to „play along.“ The goal isn‘t to force yourself into a corset that seems to work, but to become aware of your real needs. Leaving important life decisions up to a roll of dice helps, and since „giving yourself up to something“ is often confused with „giving up,“ I have focused on the aspect of „play“ and „playfulness“ in my film.
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Antonin Svoboda

Written by: Antonin Svoboda

Cinematography: Martin Gschlacht

Cast: Georg Friedrich (Kurt), Birgit Minichmayr (Tanja)

Nominations and Awards

  • Feature Film Selection 2006