In her new film, Maria Furtwängler plays the victim of rape. She talks to t-online about personal boundary violations by men.
According to the Family Ministry, every third woman in Germany will be a victim of physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life. Since 2016, Maria Furtwängler, her daughter Elisabeth and the joint MaLisa Foundation have been campaigning against violence against girls and women, among other things. Now she is dedicating herself to this topic with a film in which she is both the leading actress and co-producer: In “Until Truth” Maria Furtwängler plays a successful neurosurgeon who is raped by her best friend’s son.
In an interview with t-online, she tells us what negative experiences she had on film sets and why so-called intimacy coordinators are so important.
t-online: Ms. Furtwängler, what was it like filming intimate scenes in the past compared to today?
Maria Furtwängler: In the past, during intimate scenes, there was no intimacy coach present and potential problems were ignored. There was almost no agreement back then, which as a woman I find acceptable in such a scene. It wasn’t discussed. Also due to a lack of self-confidence and knowledge. So I always felt uneasy or afraid that the person I was talking to could take advantage of the situation and grab somewhere without prior permission. But I used to relate my disgust or uneasy feeling to myself and see it as my personal problem.
At what specific moment did you wish you had support on set?
To take a comparatively harmless example: I’ve already experienced during filming that the person I was talking to wasn’t very sensitive when it came to personal hygiene and I suddenly had to kiss a Roth Händle chain smoker with saliva in the corner of his mouth. It was horrible and I was choking inside. But back then I didn’t have the courage to say: “You’re crazy! The man first has to brush his teeth and use mouthwash. And then it’s agreed that the tongue stays in when kissing.”
How important are intimacy coordinators for such scenes today?
They are one of the great achievements of the MeToo movement. They choreograph the whole thing. During a preliminary discussion, technical matters are first clarified, such as how to tape off intimate areas of the body or where to allow touching on the body. Intimacy coaches usually also provide necessary hygiene items, such as mouthwash. This may sound trivial, but it is so important. Only then do I feel safe in intimate scenes, which makes me much freer when playing.
I was frozen and at the same time I didn’t want to be seen as uncool if I directly objected to it.
Maria Furtwängler
Do you still experience unpleasant situations today?
Of course, like every woman. Especially in the acting and theater cosmos, you are always physically attacked. Only recently did I experience my boundaries being crossed under the guise of “We’re all casual and dare to do something.”
I was frozen and at the same time I didn’t want to be seen as uncool if I directly objected to it.
What particularly moved you during the preparations for your new film?
The most powerful thing for me was hearing a law enforcement official say, “If my daughter experienced something like that, I would recommend that she not report it.” In Germany, the probability that a perpetrator will be held accountable is very low. Only ten percent of all rapes are reported and less than ten percent of these alleged perpetrators are then sued. These are shocking numbers.
Why is the perpetrator in the film so much younger than his victim?
We wanted to break the stereotype that the victim is often younger than the perpetrator and is in a subordinate position of power. Our society has a clear idea of how something like this happens. Because we are guided by standardized images that have been shown to us for decades. Rapes are as individual as their victims.
