Amoris Imperium

Amoris Imperium - tells the story of Edward. He’s 35 years old, well off, and lives in a friendly suburban neighborhood. The only thing he’s missing is a devoted wife by his side. To fill that missing piece, he kidnapped 13-year-old Rebeca. For the past 10 months, he has kept her hidden from the world. As he continuously rapes and beats Rebeca, he manages to keep up his spotless image to outsiders. His true persona of a narcissistic psychopath only surfaces within his own house, and therefore Rebeca is the only one who truly knows his dark side. All this is challenged when a friendly neighbor comes by for an unexpected visit. Edwards manipulative skills surface, and once again the chance of Rebeca being rescued fades, leaving us wondering whether we ourselves would have managed to help her?

  • Natalie Pociask
    Director
  • Natalie Pociask
    Writer
  • Philipp Schön
    Writer
  • Alexander Grohmann-Velcher
    Producer
  • Laurenz Feidicker
    Producer
  • Kristo Ukanis
    Key Cast
    "Edward"
  • Sireli Maris Remmak
    Key Cast
    "Rebeca"
  • Ergo Küppas
    Key Cast
    "Hillar"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Amoris Imperium
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 7, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    2,258 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Estonia
  • Country of Filming:
    Estonia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.4:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Tallinn University
Director Biography - Natalie Pociask

Natalie Pociask is a 23-year-old writer and director based in Cologne, Germany, currently completing her studies at Macromedia University. 

In her projects, Natalie looks for stories and themes that have strong meaning for her and people that she wants to give a voice to. Her stories revolve around social subjects and historical events.  

Currently, she is conducting work on her thesis film, "Till death do us part" in collaboration with the Film and Media Foundation NRW.

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Director Statement

"Held captive for 18 years." That was the title of a news video about a girl kidnapped at 11, beaten, raped, and forced to bear two children in a backyard - just under the nose of "everyone.".  Rage and disbelief took over me as I continued to study further cases while trying to find an answer to "how come nobody knew?".  One case after the other made me question the world we live in and the attention we pay to one another, especially children. While reading the books of the victims I learned that during the years they were held captive, there were many moments where someone could have rescued them, and yet the moment passed and years of torture continued. 

Now, it has been a year since I decided to find an answer to “How come nobody knew?”. That year has changed my understanding of those cases irreversibly. I now understand that finding a final answer to that question is perhaps impossible, and this film will not give final answers either. What it will do, is help people understand those situations better and hopefully be more attentive in everyday interactions. Because as I know very well myself, it only takes half split of a second for your life to become a completely different reality. Sadly, the people with the darkest objectives often appear innocuous until it is too late. And if I can help one person foresee and avoid becoming a victim of such – then, for me, this film will be a massive success.