The film Desire Will Set You Free paints a picture of contemporary underground Berlin. It’s based on a true story: Ezra, an American writer of Palestinian and Israeli parentage living in Berlin, spends his days clubbing, taking drugs, having pseudo-philosophical conversations and wanting to be more punk, whilst wishing he wrote more. Most of his time is spent with his privileged dark, but witty friend Catharine, who has an unsettling fetish for Nazi paraphernalia. As the two of them look for their next excitement fix, they end up in one of Berlin’s famous gay hustler bars. Almost on a dare Ezra meets Sasha, a Russian immigrant working as an escort. Ezra pulls Sasha on a journey through Berlin’s underground and queer scenes…
Of course there is a soundtrack wich was inspired by trash music films from the 70s and 80s. There Blood Orange plays a Malaria! song, Peaches did a cover of Claire Waldoff the great lesbian cabaret singer from the 1920s, and also you can find songs by Molly Nilsson, Rollin Hunt, Anni Rossi, Nina Hagen, The Prostitutes, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
and more. Furthermore Einstuerzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld appear in the movie too.
The soundtrack album will be released soon by Moniker Records (US)
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American director Yoni Leyser‘s previous film, a documentary about W.S.Burroughs, also with many musicians like Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Jello Biafra or Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.