In the Locarno main competition title Phantoms of July, written and directed by Julian Radlmaier, three stories of women intersect against a German backdrop that feels simultaneously timeless and deeply rooted in contemporary issues.

Ursula (Clara Schwinning) and Neva (Maral Keshavarz) are two women whose lives come into contact with each other in the small German town of Sangerhausen, as the movie’s original title, Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen, reveals. Ursula, a German waitress who seems to feel stuck in her job and dissatisfied with her love life, meets a charming musician (Henriette Confurius) and falls for her, driven by a yearning to escape. Neva, on the other hand, is an Iranian YouTuber who encounters an old friend from Tehran, who works as a street sweeper in the town and whom she recalls from a blurry memory teetering between dream and reality.

At the beginning of the story, which is divided into chapters, another character comes to the fore: Lotte (Paula Schindler), a maid living in a not-so-distant past, who is tied to the present through one of the other two characters. Eventually, Ursula and Neva will accidentally find each other through an unexpected reconnection with the ghosts that apparently haunt the mountain looming over Sangerhausen. In certain shots, this element, combined with the underlying irony, evokes the surreal majesty of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain.

Phantoms of July is shot with a strange but successful combination of tonal elegance and a more playful, light-hearted spirit. Nonetheless, the film uses its dreamlike atmosphere to depict a far more serious approach to life, outlining its everyday struggles. With characters firmly grounded in the realities of labour, economic hardship and the challenges of immigration, Radlmaier also manages to mix in elements of fairy tales while paying meticulous attention to composition and light (with the help of Faraz Fesharaki’s cinematography).

The visuals have a painting-like quality, and the first episode in particular, centred on the character of Lotte, brings to mind the intimacy and the texture of Vermeer’s works. The tension between fantasy and reality creates a singular atmosphere and gives the story a certain uniqueness – a fresh and rarely seen attribute in today’s festival milieu.

The feature will appeal to and win over intellectuals and art lovers who also have a taste for subtle irony, but it will also be a winner for certain audiences who don’t mind exploring new cinematic territory. Those who are interested in storytelling focused on social struggles and relationships between characters will also find the writing interesting. Its only flaw, which may deter certain viewers from warming to it, is its relatively relaxed pace and slow build-up, with much of the writing being focused on character development. In fact, for people used to peppier plots or more immediate drama, it might be harder to sink into the story. Some may end up remaining on surface level, without really noticing the emotional depth or the more complex themes that take their time to emerge.

Phantoms of July was produced by Germany’s Blue Monticola Film in co-production with WDR. Its world sales are handled by Bendita Film Sales.