When German writer‑director Felix Randau first read a French pitch about Felix Kersten – the masseur who soothed Heinrich Himmler’s back and allegedly saved lives – he was struck by a single line: “If Steven Spielberg had known about Kersten, he would have made a film about him instead of Oskar Schindler.” The claim sparked suspicion, prompting Randau to dive into archives, interview survivors, and ultimately reject a heroic, superhero‑style narrative.
Instead, Randau turned the material into I Is Another (German: Ich Ist ein Anderer), which premiered on Aug. 7 in the Piazza Grande section of the 79th Locarno Film Festival. Set in 1952, the film follows journalist Hedda (Valerie Pachner) as she confronts Kersten (Claes Bang) and his wife Irmgard (Susanne Wuest) on a train, probing the man’s self‑crafted image that could earn him a Nobel Peace Prize. What begins as a routine interview spirals into a psychological cat‑and‑mouse game, forcing viewers to ask: hero, impostor, or both?
Randau frames the story with a simple yet powerful premise: “Every story has three sides – yours, mine, and the truth.” This triadic structure mirrors the way modern audiences consume information on fragmented digital platforms, where personal bias, editorial framing, and factual verification constantly clash. The film’s relevance extends beyond its post‑war setting; it is a commentary on how truth is negotiated in an era of algorithm‑driven feeds and automated content workflows.
In production, the team leveraged technology‑driven automation to streamline a traditionally labor‑intensive process. From digital script‑breakdowns to cloud‑based editing suites, the workflow mirrored the very themes the film interrogates. International sales agent Beta Cinema used AI‑enhanced market analysis to target streaming platforms, illustrating how the industry’s shift from theatrical‑first releases to digital distribution reshapes a film’s life cycle.
The narrative also reflects a broader media transition. Kersten’s attempt to curate his own legend through press releases and personal letters anticipates today’s influencer culture, where individuals craft identities across multiple platforms. Randau notes, “If Kersten were alive today, he would be deep into all this social‑media stuff.” The film thus becomes a case study in how historical figures might have navigated modern reputation management tools, from automated posting schedules to AI‑generated image filters.
Audiences are the primary beneficiaries of this layered approach. History enthusiasts gain a nuanced portrait of a man who saved lives not out of altruism but self‑preservation. Media scholars see a live example of how storytelling adapts when traditional print archives intersect with digital analytics. Filmmakers observe a concrete model of integrating automation without sacrificing artistic intent.
Industry trends reinforce the film’s timing. The rise of “truth‑seeking” documentaries on streaming services shows a market appetite for content that questions established narratives. Simultaneously, the migration of festival premieres to hybrid formats accelerates the need for digital marketing automation, a shift the Locarno organizers embraced by offering live‑streamed Q&A sessions alongside in‑person screenings.
Randau’s own reflections underscore the urgency: “In our present time, there are no more fundamental agreements about anything, so truth has become quite a flexible thing. And that is very dangerous.” By positioning a 1950s train as a microcosm of today’s echo chambers, I Is Another invites viewers to reconsider how history is packaged, sold, and consumed across both analog and digital channels.
As the film rolls out to international festivals and eventually to streaming platforms, its layered critique of narrative construction will likely resonate with anyone navigating the blurred lines between fact and perception in the digital age.
