Where are the stories that show women in and after midlife? In films and series, multifaceted, real characters in this phase of life are rare or non-existent. The screen is dominated by long-outdated clichés and youthful ideal images - and viewers of all ages are bored and miss roles with identification potential and a role model function.
This is why Gesine Cukrowski has been campaigning for a real image of women's age in the media since 2023 with "Let's change the picture!". The aim is not only to move mountains, but also to name structures of inequality loudly and clearly. In her book debut, Cukrowksi embarks on a fascinating expedition that begins in the world of films and ultimately affects us all personally: where real life and fictional images meet. Why is there an expiry date for women, who introduced it and why is it so persistent that even teenagers are turning to anti-ageing products? Why are there countless teenage films, while the second even more radical upheaval in a woman's life, the menopause, is swept under the (red) carpet? The actress shares and questions the experiences of her career and her coming-of-middle-age in front of and behind the camera. Because midlife should not be shown as a spectre, but as a moment full of experience, strength and knowledge. And humor.
Actress Gesine Cukrowski (1968) is one of the most prominent German TV and film actresses. She is known to audiences from "The Last Witness", "Mordach" and "Hotel Mondial", among others. in 2023, Cukrowski founded the initiative "Let's Change the Picture" together with Silke Burmester (Palais Fluxx) for more visibility of women over 47 in German film and television. For this commitment, they received the honorary prize of the German Acting Award.
"Sorry Tarzan, I'm saving myself" will be published by Herder Verlag on May 12, 2025, 240 pages