(Half) The Time Of My Life

German title: Mein Halbes Leben
2008, 93 minutes – part I

VOD

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km/a mode
           by Katha Harrer

ABOUT THE FILM

Today, if you haven’t made it by 30 it’s all over.

Filmmaker Marko Doringer has decided to go on a very personal mission: he is 30 years old, hasn’t achieved anything in life, and has just lost his first molar. Bodily decay has begun, youth is disappearing fast. What else is there in life before it’s all over?

Marko will visit old friends, his parents, and their friends to find out whether they are better off than him. Why does being 30 have to be this hard? Marko questions the meaning of life with perceptive irony. He relentlessly confronts his protagonists with both the large and small questions of humanity: why is it so difficult accepting the success of others? Why it is so difficult to accept one’s own?

(Half) The Time Of My Life is an ironic self-portrait of a whole generation – the happily depressed; a real life version of a coming-of-age novel of our present, and Marko’s future.

FILM STILLS

Awarded “Best Austrian Documentary”

  • Great Diagonale Film Prize ‘08 | Jury statement:

    An interim filmic statement on midlife. The filmmaker believes himself to be in a state of crisis and goes on a journey to search for the reasons. He speaks to old school friends and relatives, letting them talk and talking about himself as well. So far it sounds like the usual lamentation on the meaning of life. But from this constellation Marko Doringer has created a clever and funny tour d’horizon on growing up, mobility and persistence, utopias and being “realistic”.

    The confidentiality and openness inherent as a matter of course in the dialogues he conducts derives from Marko Doringer’s own filmic method: he works with the smallest possible team, wielding the camera himself, pointedly stimulating the dialogue to create an intense communicative space, into which the audience is drawn without ever feeling uncomfortable. In an almost casual way, the film not only tells the story of his generation but also addresses issues significant for our society today: the dissolution of family bonds and material security, the shifts in value systems, and the unreasonable demands on modern and flexible women and men. An intimately personal film for everyone.

    Christine A. Maier (Director of Photography, AT)
    Werner Ruzicka (Head of Duisburger Filmwoche, DE)
    Elisabeth Scharang (filmmaker, AT)
    Diagonale, April 03, 2008

FURTHER INFORMATION

  • POSTER

  • FACTS

    GERMAN TITLE:
    Mein Halbes Leben

    COMPLETION:
    January 2008

    WORLD PREMIERE:
    April 03, 2008 | Diagonale | Graz (Austria)

    INT. PREMIERE:
    October 26, 2008 | Internt. Documentary Filmfestival | Jihlava (Czech Republic)

    LENGTH:
    93 minutes

    ORIGINAL LANGUAGES:
    German, English

    VERSIONS:
    OmU Deutsch, OwS English

  • CREDITS

    with
    Katha H. & Ingo F.
    Martin O. & Tanja Z.
    Thomas & Gitti B.
    Etty & Heinz D.
    Marko D.

    writer, director & camera: Marko Doringer
    script consultants: Andres Veiel, Klaus Charbonnier
    sound: Johannes Schmelzer-Ziringer
    editing: Marko Doringer, Martin Hoffmann

    music: Les Hommes Sauvages
    sound design, sound mix: Markus Böhm

    color correction: Till Beckmann
    motion graphics: Daniel Flax
    production consultant: Ronny Zuckermann
    line producer: Markus Glaser

    producers:
    Marko Doringer | Filmfabrik
    Markus Glaser, Michael Kitzberger, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Wolfgang Widerhofer | Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion

  • REVIEWS

    “This film is a godsend!”
    DER STANDARD

    “One of the funniest, wisest, grooviest and most moving films of the past few years.”
    SKIP

    “In its best moments, it’s like a Woody Allen film.”
    TAZ

    “Hilarious!”
    DER TAGESSPIEGEL

    “Ironic, engaging and funny.”
    SHOW ROYALE – RADIO EINS BERLIN

    “Rarely has an audience been laughing so hard despite the gravity of the subject.”
    kino-zeit.de

    “Straight-up and genuine.”
    KULTUR ONLINE

    “Deftly funny.”
    EBUCO

    • “A remarkably multi-layered portrait of a generation.”
      Programmkino.de

      “Sensitive and intimate.”
      jetzt.de/ Süddeutsche Zeitung

      “A gripping and exciting film.”
      Oberösterreichische Nachrichten

      “A thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable film about contemporary lifestyles.”
      critic.de

  • FEEDBACK

    “Your films perfectly portray how our generation experiences life.”
    DANIELA

    “Heart-warming, human and funny. Thanks for this gem of a film!”
    JOANNA

    “Marko Doringer’s films have somehow made a big impression on me and my girlfriend.”
    THOMAS

    “Enthusiastic!”
    FLO

    “A thousand thanks for this great film.”
    GREGOR

    “The film speaks from the heart, is so authentic and is so spot on.”
    PARIS

  • FESTIVALS

    Hof International Film Festival ´08
    German

    Diagonale ´08
    Austria

    Duisburg ´08
    Germany

    Jihlava ´08
    Czech Republic

    La Rochelle ´09
    France

    Trieste International Film Festival ´09
    Italy

    New Berlin Film Award ´09
    Germany

    Bolzano Film Festival ´09
    Italy

VoD & DVD

Video on DemandVXH

DVD-Shop (AT)Hoanzl

DVD-Shop (DE)amazon

FEATURED MUSIC

Les Hommes Sauvages
.            by Kristof Hahn (Swans)

Katha's Fashion

km/a mode
           by Katha Harrer

AWARDS

Best Austrian Documentary Film

Grand Diagonale Prize 2008

Best Documentary Film

New Berlin Film Award 2009

Best Documentary Film

Bolzano Film Festival 2009

Best Documentary Film/ honorary mention

Trieste Film Festival 2009

AUDIENCE TESTIMONIALS

“Your films perfectly portray how our generation experiences life.”
DANIELA

“Heart-warming, human and funny. Thanks for this gem of a film!”
JOANNA

“Marko Doringer’s films have somehow made a big impression on me and my girlfriend.”
THOMAS

“A thousand thanks for this great film.”
GREGOR

PRESS & REVIEWS

“This film is a godsend!”
DER STANDARD

“Ironic, engaging and funny.”
SHOW ROYALE – RADIO EINS BERLIN

“One of the funniest, wisest, grooviest and most moving films of the past few years.”
SKIP

“Straight-up and genuine.”
KULTUR ONLINE

Project Partners

Funded by

Government of Lower Austria
Austrian Film Institute
Government of Styria

Funded by

Government of Salzburg
City of Salzburg

Theatrical release supported by

Austrian Film Institute
Filmfonds Vienna

Produced by

Filmfabrik Marko Doringer film production
NGF Nikolaus Geyrhalter film production
© Austria | Germany 2008

PAST DATES

COMPLETION

April 2008

WORLD PREMIERE

April 03, 2008 | Diagonale | Graz (Austria)

INT. PREMIERE

October 26, 2008 | Int. Documentary Filmfestival | Jihlava (Czech Rebulic)

INT. FILMFESTIVAL HOF

October 22, 2008 | Hof (Germany)

DUISBURGER FILMWOCHE

November 07, 2008 | Duisburg (Germany)

TRIESTE FILMFESTIVAL

January 20, 2009 | Trieste (Italy)

INT. FILMFESTIVAL BOLZANO

March 2009 | Bolzano (Italy)

ACHTUNG BERLIN!

April 2009 | Berlin (Germany)

LA ROCHELLE FILMFESTIVAL

June 2009 | La Rochelle (France)

Theatrical Release

January 01, 2009 | polyfilm | Austria
October 08, 2009 | movienet | Germany

TV transmissions

August 2009 | YLE
October 29, 2010 | ARTE
March 14, 2013 | ORF III

Funding Agencies & Project Partners