Marisa, a 20-year-old German girl, hates foreigners, Jews, cops, and everyone she finds guilty for the decline of her country. She provokes, drinks, fights and her next tattoo will be a portrait of Adolf Hitler. The only place where she feels at home is the neo-Nazi gang she belongs to where hate, violence, and heavy parties are the daily rules. When 14-year-old Svenja joins the group, Marisa appears like a role model to her: she fits the purest idea of a combat girl fighting for the group’s ideology. But Marisa’s convictions will slowly evolve when she accidentally meets a young Afghan refugee. Confronted with him, she will learn that the black and white principles of her gang are not the only way. Will Marisa ever be able to get out of this group?

In the summer of 1998 I worked for a film project in [the German region of] Lausitz. While I had conversations with adolescents, I noticed that many of them have extreme, right-wing opinions. Remarkable was the fact that many girls there have this opinion. That was the reason and point of origin for my long research to go deeper into this topic. In the movie we get a close connection to the characters. Nevertheless the camera brings moments of distance and enables an analytical and critical point of view for the spectators. The combination of professional actors and non-professionals allows for realistic acting. The movie is supposed to teach facts without being too educational. COMBAT GIRLS shall avoid the clichés and enable a real understanding without excusing the actions of the characters.