DocuMe – Nikolai streaming

Addiction and Crimes – at 17, Nikolai faced the choice between a year in prison or therapy: he chose inpatient youth addiction treatment in Leimbach. The film follows Nikolai for nearly two years on his journey: from his first "clean birthday" – meaning a year of sobriety – to the end of the court-imposed conditions, and tells of Nikolai's struggles with rules and his battle with inner demons. Frankfurt camerawoman Vita Spieß accompanied the now 20-year-old Nikolai on his long and not always easy path out of addiction, culminating in a successful school graduation. With patience and empathy, she captures moments full of humor and zest for life. Amid setbacks and small victories, Nikolai's unwavering will to rediscover himself is revealed: "Giving up is not an option for me," he says. He finds support in the community of the Leimbach youth assistance program, a fully residential facility for addicted male adolescents. The foundation of the Leimbach model is a living community of formerly addicted adults who, due to their own biographies, can build a connection to the experiences and realities of the youth, living, learning, and working together with them 365 days a year. Vita Spieß has dedicated herself as a cinematographer to artistic documentary filmmaking for cinema and television. She is particularly interested in accompanying people and establishing a special closeness to the protagonists. Many of the films she has shot have received awards, including the 2021 award from HessenFilm and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art for the best cinematography in the feature documentary "Heal Yourself" by Yasmin C. Rams. 3sat presents "Nikolai" as part of the 3sat documentary series "DocuMe," which tells stories of people in processes of change and experiments with narrative forms outside of the media mainstream.