Florian David Fitz about weekend rebels and his new sci-fi project for Netflix

Regardless of whether it’s a comedy or a sensitive gender drama like Oskar’s Dress recently: When a big German film is released in cinemas, it’s not unlikely that Florian David Fitz has a hand in it in some way. The 49-year-old is not “just” one of them most famous actors in Germanyhe also directs and writes screenplays – including for an upcoming sci-fi project from Netflix.

From September 28, 2023, his new film Weekend Rebellen will be shown in cinemas across Germany. Fitz plays the workaholic Mirco, who promised his son that he would help him find a favorite soccer club. There are only 2 problems: Germany has a hell of a lot of clubs whose stadiums the two of them have to search. And: It’s not just son Jason (Cecilio Andresen), who is on the autistic spectrum, who reaches his limits on the unusual journey. Mirco and Jason are real, the film is based on a true story.

I meet Florian David Fitz in a Berlin hotel for an interview. He is a father himself and, by his own admission, works too much – perfect to talk about very real emotions in and outside of the film. And of course about how to do it in everyday life chaos of human existence doesn’t go insane.

See the trailer for Weekend Rebels with Florian David Fitz here:

Moviepilot: Weekend Rebels tells the true story of a father who is incredibly committed to his son. As a father, have you asked yourself the question: Would I be able to do this too?

Florian David Fitz: I can give you the answer with certainty: I wouldn’t be. When I read the script for the first time, I came away rather humbled. You don’t know what will happen to you. In the end you always adapt to the circumstances. But I honestly don’t know where they get this strength from.

Did you ask?

I think the answer would be: It is what it is. You can’t give up, it’s your child. And then of course there is just this great love. But I think, despite all the love, it’s okay if you think your child is shit. We are all just human. (laughs)

Florian David Fitz insisted on one of the most unpleasant scenes in the film at Weekendrebellen

There’s this one scene in the film where this really escalates. Of course, on a set like this everyone knows that it’s all an act. But is it still difficult for you as an actor to say something as crass to a child’s face as what you’re saying at that moment?

Nope! (laughs) I’ll probably have to talk to my therapist about that. To be honest, I pushed for this scene to exist.

Why was that important to you?

Mirco [von Juterczenka] and Jason insisted that in the end everything would not be resolved and the child would no longer be on the spectrum. That would be a fairy tale because there will be no healing, there will be no real change on the other side. So there has to be a change on the father’s side. And to do that he has to go to the edge.

Every normal parent is constantly confronted with injustice, but when the other person is so intelligent and seems to be driving the escalation forward… There you have it in that moment the feeling that this is downright evil – although it actually isn’t. So, I don’t condemn that. I like that it’s not washed so softly. But then you are very much in your character. Didn’t you understand him?

Yes, I totally understood that and thought to myself: OK, obviously I’m a bad person.

(laughs) But that’s great! If on the one hand you have the feeling “He finally says it!”and at the same time you think: “Oh God, you can’t say that?” A child like Jason in the film has no choice but to enter the world on his own terms. But that also means that everyone around him has to constantly change the world in order for him to function. That is what one perceives as unfair, even if Jason can’t help it at all. That’s why I think it’s so important how the conflict is resolved. But that would probably be too big of a spoiler.

For Florian David Fitz, social media is like eating chips – it’s actually not good for you

You made a film with Vincent will meer about someone with Tourette syndrome. In an interview at the time, you said that the illness was actually a symbol of something else. Would you say that autism in weekend rebels can also be seen as a symbol of something else? A desire for reliability and order, for example.

I think that’s the case with symbols in general: in every story – whether it’s autism or Tourette’s or space flights or avatars – there’s obviously something in it that we empathize with, even if it actually has nothing to do with us on the outside. And actually that is it an underestimated superpower of us humans. This means we can travel anywhere emotionally. But about autism as a symbol of our need for stability… I find what you’re saying really interesting. All children need some kind of stability and are very sensitive when you promise something and it doesn’t happen. Or certain rules are not adhered to. This is extreme on the spectrum.

But maybe that’s exactly what we all want back right now, because over the past ten years we’ve increasingly had the feeling that the world is becoming messier again. Maybe we thought it was neater than it actually is and now we realize: there will be no end. We will simply never be “finished.”

It would help me if Twitter were finally scrapped for good.

I won’t do that to myself too. We all actually know what is good for us and what is not. Of course, it’s not good for us to be glued to a cell phone all the time. Of course it’s not good for us to gossip about other people. But we’ll do it anyway. Social media in particular is like eating chips. Self-discipline and moderation have gone a bit out of fashion, I think. Always classify yourself and ask: Where is the pendulum in the middle? These are the only weapons we have against all this shitthat makes us sick.

The actor doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as Game of Thrones with his Netflix series

With all the projects over the last few years, it seems to me as if your pendulum is swinging heavily towards work. Is it easy for you to jump from one thing to the next, or doesn’t that make you go a little crazy?

Both. It’s okay, but I’m slowly reaching a breaking point. I finished filming a Netflix series in January. Then I had to write my next feature film – which takes a while. That lasted until summer, then we started the second version. Now I’ve had a week’s compulsory vacation and I’m currently helping with the book for a next film project for two weeks while I do press for Weekend Rebels. Then I realize: Maybe I’m not quite as flexible as I once was.

It’s a bit too much. If I say again next year “Yeah well, maybe it is straight a bit much”then of course I couldn’t manage it with moderation. Then maybe at some point I’ll have to say: Fuck it. I have a plan on the horizon to maybe just do one more thing.

Is it “easier” to make a series for Netflix than a big German cinema project?

Rather more complex, but also very cool. You have a longer shooting time. It was a mini-series, meaning there were four books, all of which are small films in themselves. You don’t just have this very, very limited time like in a movie to show what the conflict is. Most of the time you know how things will develop in a certain genre. We’ve all seen what happens when it’s all about breaking expectations – then you have the final season of Game of Thrones. But you still have to see how it remains exciting and touching and surprising and still comprehensible.

With a Netflix series you don’t have that problemthat you have to take the S-Bahn to the cinema in the city and the main route is on strike, or you can’t find a parking space by car. Or you’re already standing in the popcorn line, everyone in front of you is coughing and you don’t go into the hall. You turn on a Netflix series much faster, but you also turn it off much easier. That’s why you have to think completely differently about how you lay out the breadcrumbs so that people want to keep watching. For me this is a brain task, like Sudoku.

Florian David Fitz cried while filming Weekend Rebels

Is there anything you want people to take away from Weekend Rebels? A feeling or thought you’ve been working towards with your role?

I always find it dangerous to make a film with a very specific goal. Then you have school television with an educational purpose. Personally, I learned a lot more about German football than I did about autism. And that, along with this emotional story about this family, is what makes this film special.

People always laugh at this allotment garden-like thing. But there is so much love in these clubs. There is a scene in the film where we are in Dortmund. They sing that famous song at the beginning and that’s 60 or 80,000 throats… I’m completely uninvolved, I don’t have any shares in it at all and I still have to cry. This is something where you can be together. Where it’s beneficial not to be the center of attention, but to be part of something bigger. I think this also helps against the chaos and disorder of the world.

More good films in the podcast: The 8 best Netflix films of all time

Since 2015, Netflix has not only released exclusive series but also films. We looked at the titles from the past few years and picked out the eight best Netflix original films. You can find out exactly what this is about in this edition of our podcast Streamgesucht.

From brutal war dramas to dreamy fantasy adventures, from blockbusters to insider tips: you can discover some strong original films on Netflix. Even the long-lost work of a master director has appeared on the streaming service.

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