Der Mann der die Welt aß – The Man Who Ate The World

“The man who ate the world” has no name: Nis-Momme Stockmann only calls his protagonist “The Son”. He has reached the mid-point of his life, when everything suddenly slips out of control. He loses his job and his father shows disturbing signs of dementia. His ex-wife Lisa starts a new relationship with Ulf, who is supposed to be his best friend. “The Son’s name is unknown” writes Stockmann, “in the production he should be replaced by a censored noise (like that used on tv to block out unwanted remarks)”.

“The Son” charges around his collapsing world like a hurt child. He feels unrecognized, ignores all his responsibilities and fails constantly: as a father, as a friend, as an employee, as a provider for his dependents. His friend Ulf is not the only one who can feel “The Son” sliding further and further into an inner chaos. Nevertheless he supports him until this becomes impossible. “The Son” is manic, destroyed both internally and externally, he is no longer able to tell when he is at fault or what injustice is. To the end he demands his due, he swallows everything, devouring the world, until nothing is left any more.

Nis-Momme Stockmann presents the capitulation of his nameless refuser in fourteen scenes. His calm everyday language does not prettify anything yet it creates many touching moments. Whether they are in the waiting room, on the phone or in the boss’s office, his characters remain authentic when confronted with the yawning abyss of everyday life. However, instead of asking who is guilty, Stockmann analyses the complex structures on which a life can come to ruin.
Beret Evensen

Nis-Momme Stockmann was born in 1981 in Wyk on Föhr. He studied Tibetan Languge and Culture in Hamburg und Media Studies in Odense (Denmark), before starting the Scenic Writing course at the Universität der Künste Berlin in 2008. He won first prize at the Odense International Film Festival 2005 for his short “Ignorans”. In 2006 and 2007 he was one of the organizers of the Flensburger Kurzfilmtage. Nis-Momme Stockmann lives in Berlin and writes plays, radio plays, poetry and prose. The play “The man who ate the world” is also invited to the Heidelberger Stückemarkt 2009.