“I Don’t Know” by Veronika Bolotina
A simple question shatters Jerry's mind: should he ask her out? Suddenly, his consciousness splits into warring personalities, each one reflecting society's judgments and expectations. They argue, persuade, and manipulate, all vying to control his decision. In this mental battlefield, only Jerry can choose his path. But is he truly alone in this fight?
FROM THE DIRECTOR
"I Don't Know" was my first truly ambitious short film. I initially wrote it as a 25-minute piece, quickly learning the hard lesson of how sometimes you need to kill your darlings and seek more affordable shooting options. But it was indeed the moment that skyrocketed my journey as a director and scriptwriter. The film explores teenage indecision and internal conflict through the seemingly simple act of sending a text message. It's silly, it's exaggerated—it's a comedy found in simple things.
Partly drawn from my own experience, partly from the experiences of others. Because when you're young, everything IS dramatic. And being rejected? Being rejected can be genuinely painful. I've spent hours, literally hours, agonizing over whether to send a single message, knowing that one "no" could feel devastating. Ryan was the actor with whom I straight away knew: Yes, he can embody so many different characters and do exactly the job I needed. Since then, I've honestly never regretted it. From that collaboration developed 10 years of friendship and creative partnership.
Same with Kathleen and Brix. I think with this short film, I realized that actors are my tribe and my family. Despite having many struggles and limited knowledge in production, the experience taught me how to be better, how to approach directing and writing. Bless my team who could survive my grand ambitions. I mean, I could have just shot something simple within 5 minutes, but I decided to conquer the universe!”
-Veronika Bolotina
CREDITS
Cast
Jerry// Ryan Wichert/ @ryan.wichert
Universe// Kathleen Renish/ @kathleen_renish
Secretary// Brix Schaumburg/ @treesoul
Extras; Danny Sternbeck, Martin Groß David Arnold Lisa Gregor
Directed by Veronika Bolotina/ @veronikabolo
Written by Veronika Bolotina
Story Editor// Jacob Eriksson & Nikita Bolotin
Co-Producer by Spektrumfilm/ @spektrumfilm
Produced by Veronika Bolotina, Britta Dörig
Director of Photography// Andy Justus/ @justanartwork
Production Design// Hao-Ping Wu/ @hao.p.wu
Music by Sebastian Schell
Soundtrack// “Keep me moving”/ @used.twins
Editor// Tanja Zilg/ @tanjazilgflow
Sound Design// Reptile Sound Design
Colorist// Leon Zwiener
VFX// Mark Scott/ @markscott3d
Motion Graphics// Steven Boennemann/ @stvns.grunge
Production assistants// Mischel Mansor/ @mischels_dsgn
Sofia Liebertruth/ @creative_scatterbrain
Co-production designer// Anna Bettinger
Co-production designer// Irene Buckmeier
Costume Design// Karin Hosokawa/ @karin_net_katrin
Wardrobe// Marla Dähne & Phat Nguyen
1st AD// Mischel Mansor
2nd AD// Britta Dörig
1st Unit Manager// Britta Dörig
Location scout by Veronika Bolotina
Script supervisor by Samir Meslem
Stunts// Thomas Hofer
Camera and Electrical Department
First assistant camera// Moritz Prior/ @mo_dus.mov
Yannick Döring
Jochen Wolkensdorfer/ @jochen.wolke
Second assistant camera
Joschua Rasch
Clemens Mayr
Arne Hertstein
Henri Aalken/ @h.aalken
Digital imaging technician
Jochen Wolkensdorfer
Henri Aalken
Gaffer// André Windolf/ @mr.white_teddy
Best girl// Sofia Liebetruth/ @creative_scatterbrain
Best Boy// Joshua Rasch
Production sound mixer// Tristan Blaskowitz// @tristanblaskowitz
Boom operator// Viktor Heckle/ @victor.heckle
Benedikt Hartlieb/ @derlangebene
Illustration by Illustrator Aleksandra Bokova/ @by_fabulex
Make-up artists
Lisa von Nordheim
Melike Cinko,
Renate Halabis/ @renata.halabis.makeup
Making of by Phillip Pechersk & Zoe Eckfelder
Unit Publicist// Lisa Gregor
Caterer// Richard Heucher Mark Scott Lara Aleksandra Schott Luisa Göttelmann Alexander Mayer Lisa Ströher Paula Meier
Set Runner// Phat Nguyen Hyeongsuk Kim Lisa Gregor Henri Scheunemann Ervin Ceric
Stunt coordinator// Simon Schwarzwal/ @simon.schwarzwald
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