Director’s debut feature enters Beijing International Film Festival spotlight amid renewed global conversations on women’s rights
A century-old criminal case from Switzerland is at the center of Frieda’s Case, the debut feature from German-Swiss filmmaker Maria Brendle. The historical drama, set in 1904, follows the trial of Frieda Keller, a young seamstress accused of murdering her son. The case, and the laws surrounding it, cast a stark light on gender inequality, both past and present.
The film, which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in October, is part of the main competition at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival this month. Actor-director Jiang Wen will lead the competition jury. Brendle, who co-wrote the script with Michèle Minelli and Robert Buchschwenter, said she was drawn to the project because of its continuing relevance beyond its immediate setting in early 20th-century St. Gallen.
“This is a story about women’s rights,” Brendle said. “It is based on real events in history in Switzerland, but we still have to deal with the same or similar issues around the world.”
At the center of the film is a legal system that failed to protect Keller. She was raped by a married man, but under Swiss law at the time, married men were exempt from prosecution for rape. Keller’s case attracted national attention, revealing systemic failures and prompting public protests. She was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment, and eventually released after serving 15 years. Reaction to her story contributed to calls for legal reform. In the decades that followed, Swiss law removed protections for married men in such cases and abolished the death penalty.
Brendle said she initially viewed Keller through the lens of the crime. “When I heard about this woman who killed her child, my first thoughts were: ‘This is a monster.’ But what actually interested me was this question: ‘Was she really just a bad person?’”
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Little is known about Keller’s personal life, which posed challenges during the writing process. To present a fuller picture, Brendle used flashbacks and scenes outside the prison setting. In one scene, Keller is brought out of her cell to help serve food. “I wanted a way to show that this was a young woman with dreams and fun times, and a future,” Brendle said. “She’s not only a murderer. She’s also a victim.”
Julia Buchmann plays the lead role. Stefan Merki, Rachel Braunschweig, Max Simonischek, and Marlene Tanczik appear in supporting roles. The film was produced by Condor Films in partnership with Swiss broadcaster SRF.
Brendle was approached to direct the project following the success of her short film Take and Run (Ala Kachuu), which addressed the kidnapping of brides in Kyrgyzstan. That film earned her an Oscar nomination in 2022. The opportunity to direct Frieda’s Case came with an early draft already written. Brendle reworked it alongside the writing team, saying she wanted to shape stronger female characters.
She said that portraying Keller’s complexity was a central concern. “There are so many things to tell around this,” she said. “If she had met a different man, if someone had helped her, if the law had been different—things could have turned out another way.”
The film has received strong reactions during screenings across multiple countries. On a recent cinema tour with 22 stops, Brendle said audience members often shared personal stories after the showings. “People are sharing their family stories, sometimes in tears, and not only women, but also men.”
At the Victoria Film Festival in Canada, Brendle said she was uncertain how international viewers would respond. “But there were so many emotions. And a lot of people said: ‘This film has to go to the U.S. because they are moving backwards so much right now in terms of women’s rights.’”
One protest scene in the film includes a modern-day phrase: “Woman, Life, Freedom.” The slogan has been widely used in support of women in Iran and in global women’s rights protests. “Of course, this is historically totally wrong,” Brendle said, “but this film is not about something that happened 100 years ago and is finished.”
Brendle is currently working on two new projects. One is a period drama about a woman resisting the Nazi regime during World War II. The second project remains under wraps, though Brendle said she hopes both move forward quickly.
