Gegenüber

Jacqueline feels invisible. Her communication with her partner Dimas is sparse and one-sided, with even loving gestures going unnoticed. When the talkative Mary moves in across the hall, Jacqueline’s sense of invisibility begins to shift in a strange and unsettling way. As Mary inserts herself into Jacqueline’s world, mimicking her quirks, Jacqueline starts to feel redundant, as though she’s being replaced. Gradually, her sense of self begins to unravel, dissolving under the weight of someone else’s reflection.

  • Tanja Hernanz
    Director
  • Tanja Hernanz
    Writer
  • Tanja Hernanz
    Producer
  • CoyoteCreatives
    Producer
  • Pia Tepass
    DOP, Storyboard
  • Marc Staudinger
    DOP, Storyboard
  • Sebastian Stöckl
    VFX
  • Pia Tepass
    Color Grading
  • Pia Tepass
    Key Cast
    "Jacqueline"
    Wallfahrt
  • Antonia Schmid
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
    Wallfahrt
  • Julian Hernanz
    Key Cast
    "Dimas"
  • Sebastian Stöckl
    Key Cast
    "Delivery guy"
  • Sebastian Stöckl
    Camera Operator
  • Sebastian Stöckl
    Light
  • Thomas Keschl
    Light
  • Antonia Schmid
    Light
  • Pia Tepass
    Light
  • Marc Staudinger
    Assistant to Director
  • Antonia Schmid
    Assistant to Director
  • Pia Tepass
    Assistant to Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Austria
  • Country of Filming:
    Austria
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tanja Hernanz

Tanja Hernanz is a writer, filmmaker and visual designer based in Vienna. Her work explores hierarchies and their underlying tensions, as well as themes of milieu and identity, social responsibility, and amplifying the voices of often overlooked or unheard beings.

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Director Statement

As a filmmaker, I’m drawn to the complexities of identity—how it forms, evolves, and reflects the world’s perceptions. Self-discovery is shaped by the mirrors others hold up, which can both reveal and distort who we are.

This film delves into the tension between the need for validation and the vulnerability of being truly seen, told through the story of a woman who suppresses her needs, loses her voice, and sinks into isolation.

Her silence blurs boundaries, deepening invisibility in a cycle familiar to marginalized identities. Inspired by my own struggle in an environment that dismissed my voice, this story examines the cost of losing oneself to silence and erasure.