Fell in Love with a Girl (2017)

In his film BEYOND THIS PLACE (2010), Kaleo La Belle confronts his father who had abandoned him for decades while living the lure of the flower-power generation. With just as much openness and an even more radical approach, he now goes to court in FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL with another father: himself. In order to keep his family intact, the director moves with his ex-wife, their three children, and his new life-partner from Switzerland to Portland, Oregon in the United States. There, we experience how the romantic dream of togetherness is confronted with the realities of living together. The new cultural environment, economic pressure, and the inevitable emotional dilemmas in the shared home put the intentions of the patchwork family to the test. With sober self observation, loving while at the same time relentless, and interspersed with sophisticated artistic interludes, La Belle masters the delicate balancing act between father and filmmaker. In this way, the personal, intimate story becomes a universal perspective on love, freedom and responsibility.