STILLER KAMERAD

Every year the German parliament sends soldiers on missions to areas of conflict. From every mission soldiers return home wounded. Those wounds are not necessarily observable. Often, they only become apparent years after the mission as a disorder of their mental health. One of those disorders is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The psychosocial therapies offered by the army medical centers cannot provide help for everyone. Where conventional medicine is limited, Claudia Swierczek fills the gap with her horses. During years of work she has developed a therapeutic method that uses the horses’ exceptional abilities. SILENT COMRADE accompanies three traumatized soldiers who are trying to find a way back to life with the help of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. It attends the therapy sessions as a silent observer and allows access to the special approach of the German therapist Claudia Swierczek.

Trailer

Director

LEONHARD HOLLMANN was born in 1988 and studied at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. SILENT COMRADE is his graduation film.

photos © Leonhard Hollmann